Spirit Bears

I was lent a lovely book the other day, “Learning To Be Wild” by Charlie Russell and Maureen Enns. Its about bears in the Kamchatka region of Russia and introduced me to the work of the artist Maureen Enns. I’m adding her to my virtual shopping list of art, along with the others I have mentioned in previous posts.Here are two of my favorite images…

So, I’ve been reading about bears and doing some quick doodles late at night while fighting the urge to hibernate. Yesterday I picked up four newly framed pieces from Les Prince and left some pages from my sketch book after agonizing over whether or not to pull the book apart…it seems a shame but also a pity to keep them locked in there in the dark where no one can see them.

Well, I think its time I started to do something about the approaching “festive” season ( Winter Solstice ) so perhaps I will make some mince pies tonight…then again, if I do they will have been eaten by Sunday, no use planning too far ahead!

( Reading: “Learning To Be Wild” Russell and Enns and “Never Let Me Go” Kazuo Ishiguro)

“…Tears of Joy and Jealous Lovers…”

I’ve just returned from a lovely day out at the Yorkshire Sculpture Park. For once it wasn’t raining, in fact the sun was dazzling. I’m not sure how long it really takes to get there as my dad was driving and we seemed to take a huge detour for emergency coffee at the services somewhere ( I was falling asleep ). Anyway, we were treated to a VIP tour of the exhibitions, lunch ( yummy wild mushroom tart) and an off road Landrover trip ,because the head man,Peter Murray, is an old college friend of my parents.I gatecrashed their business meeting because I was keen to see the Rob Ryan exhibition…it was well worth the long drive and “early” morning to see his window installation and try not to cry at his intricate,romantic, paper cuts and prints.

We also enjoyed the amazing sculptures of Peter Randall Page. Beautiful carved stone which ached to be touched- strictly forbidden as the stone ( Killkenny?) marks very easily. Forms based on seedpods and the Fibinnachi sequence.

I loved his sketch books ( below) which were tiny and beautiful, an odd contrast to the huge pieces of stone.

Well, thats enough culture for one day. Time to catch up with a bit of sewing and get ready for another wonderful Osmotherley weekend! x

The Printed Image

On Friday evening I went to the opening of “The Printed Image” exhibition at the Zillah Bell Gallery before ending up ,eventually, at a crazy club in Middlesbrough called RiffRaff. Luckily there aren’t any pictures from RiffRaff but above is an early screen print of William Tillyer’s called “High Force”-standing in front of it ,the blue is dazzling.

I had two favorites (but shortage of money and wall space!) one was a Norman Ackroyd and the other this collograph by Katherine Jones called “A House In The Woods”. She’s done a whole series of lovely ethereal prints based on illuminated shelters and greenhouses in woodland settings. As soon as I finish writing this I’m going to have to look up what exactly a “collograph” is!

This week I hope to take a few things to get framed for the Salt Box, start a new group for New Leaf using all my new heat transfer paints ( wow, SO expensive!) and find out more about Gocco ready for my new purchase to arrive. ( Anyone out there use a Gocco for textile printing?) Meanwhile I’ve been enjoying a blog I found tonight called Textile Swatches , nice to see lots of examples of eco and artisan textiles as I’m right off Illustrator at the moment.

Until later x

“…In another life when we are both cats.”

A beautiful autumn day today, berries and yellowing greens. I feel as though I’ve been sitting here forever watching the big oak tree go through it’s changes; skeleton to spring green, and now just starting to turn golden round the edges.How fast it all seems to have wizzed by.

My friend Jane just called by on her way back from delivering mosaics to the Saltbox, apparently my magpie and owl are up on the walls there .So, goodness, I actually have work in a gallery! The exhibition runs until November so if you’re in the Helmsley area go and have a look (closed Mondays though).

These images are of a piece I’ve been reworking, intending to get framed for the exhibition.This morning my model “Toast” was sunbathing on the garden table, making the most of the last days of summer.

Events this weekend : Designer’s Marketplace is at The Loft in Leeds this Saturday. These events are really taking off and getting lots of good publicity from Tigerprint , PrintandPattern etc.

“The Printed Image” Opens on Friday and runs until October 23rd at the Zillah Bell Gallery, Thirsk.

Purple and Green

Last week was pretty tough as I got rejected by the AA2A Scheme despite having “a strong application” and being asked to apply again next year ( congratulations to Heidi Turner though). I’m now having a bit of an identity crisis as I set myself to thinking which way to head next. Do I concentrate on freelance fashion design or pursue the opportunities that have been offered for exhibitions? I have a problem with calling myself an “artist” so, hmmm.

So, I managed to get this piece finished last week but don’t think I’m going to be able to get it framed in time for the Saltbox this coming weekend. I’m quite pleased with the colours and textures; I really would love to make a winter coat out of this wool, with panels of rich embroidery and print.

So, now that I’m not going to be able to use the college’s print rooms I’m going to have to save up for some more heat transfer paint and ideally a small heat press. I’m also toying with the idea of getting a “Gocco” printer…but first I need to build up my motivation and confidence somehow, then everything else will start to go right ( ??!)

( Reading: “Hard Boiled Wonderland and The End of the World” Haruki Murikami, Listening to : a large rat or something thats chewing up the attic !!! “System 7 “at Thimbleberry)

“When You’re Falling, How D’you Tell Which Way Is Down?…”

Ok, I know it’s been a while…is anyone still reading? I stopped saluting at magpies in the hope that my luck would change, and it has , in strange ways; though not always in the ways I’d wanted.

These pictures are from an exhibition being held this weekend in Jane Thorniley-Walker’s newly revamped shed. It’s in aid of Street Child Africa and will hopefully be the first of many.

Here is the work of Heidi Turner and below are some of Jane’s landscapes.Jane also showed some lovely mosaics one of which is an owl which I would have loved to buy if I was a bit richer.

Meanwhile, it looks like a few galleries are interested in showing my work later in the year so I’m hoping to pull myself together and get some new work done.

Please keep reading, I will try to be a bit more reliable in future! x

(Reading: ” The Bedroom Secrets of The Master Chefs” Irvine Welsh, Listening to: “When You’re Falling” Afro Celt Sound System)

Big Apple

Hello, and apologies for not writing for a while. I got an e-mail today inviting me to go to the opening of my Daddy’s latest exhibition in New York.Unfortunately I will be far too busy stitching and trying to keep warm here on Witchmountain so I’m passing the invite on to any one who may happen to be in the Big Apple next week!!Here is some of the press release…

“We’d love you, or anyone you know who may benefit from a blast of Spanish colour, to come along to the opening of William Tillyer’s ‘The Cadiz Caprices’ at the Jacobson Howard Gallery 33 East 68th St 6th Floor New York on December 2nd between 6pm – 8pm.

The works have been described by Jon Yau in his essay ‘The Painter as Doubting Thomas’ as “the greatest abstract paintings about Spain by a non-Spaniard since Robert Motherwell began working on his ‘Elegies for The Spanish Republic’ around 70 years ago”.

In his essay ‘William Tillyer: Painting’s Corpus, an Anatomy Lesson’ Saul Ostrow states “what he has learned from his experience has resulted in Tillyer extending abstract painting beyond its traditional bounds”. William Tillyer was singled out in The Sunday Times by Brian Appleyard as the man to watch in the Art World – “Many people think he is the finest painter in Britain. Many people may be right.”

For more information have a look at the website,www.Tillyer.com.

Anyway, part of the reason I haven’t been writing so much is that I’ve been talking with Lisa at New Leaf about copyright. I think I mentioned in a previous post that I wasn’t sure of the situation regarding copyright of images on weblogs.Anyway,it seems that it is very important to display © on all designs and all sold work must be removed from view or I could end up breaching copyright with my own work! Also apparently some buyers won’t even consider buying a design that has already been seen on the internet. Not that I expect Catimini and Oilily are reading this blog but its worth knowing that. For this reason I’m posting some old sketch-book pages instead of work in progress and in future will be following Lyndsay Mcbean’s instructions and adding a © watermark to any designs( and only showing part of a design not the whole thing) For more information take a look at www.acid.uk.com

Now time to stoke up the fires, we’ve had snow and ice here so I’m reading “Little House in the Big Woods” by Laura Ingalls-Wilder and getting cozy with a mug of chai.

“I Sit At My Table…”

This was the scene at my kitchen table yesterday as I tried to do some canvasses using worn out heat transfer stencils, paint and stitch. I’m looking for things I can make that people might actually buy, since the designs I’m doing for New Leaf are only garment shapes.Other than buyers in the fashion industry, who wants half a dress or just the front of a cardigan!? Anyway, I’m not sure about the canvas idea because as soon as you make something that is intended for someone’s wall then it starts to call itself ART and that is a whole other ballgame…!

I hung some of my latest creations on the line in the sun, before they got posted off. They looked quite sweet and made me feel as though they would look good as real garments, in fact I might have to make some and see if I can borrow a small child to model them!

Yesterday I had a look at the Hand and Lock website to see who had won this year’s prize. Two of Maria Lavigina’s images are shown below and the stitching is so immaculate it makes me feel as though I’m doing mine with two left hands. This year ( 2009 that is) the competition is open to anyone rather than just students so I’ve downloaded the brief, just in case!

Now I must go and see if my neighbour can lend me some chicken food because its getting dangerous setting foot outside the door, those little beasts are ravenous!

Private View

I’m back on my mountain after a wonderful weekend in London.The highlight of course was Thursday evening and the private view of ” The Cadiz Caprices” at the Bernard Jacobson Gallery. Wow! the paintings looked great and I didn’t even know there were water colours as well…talk about work ethic! I wish I had half his energy. It was lovely to meet some people I hadn’t seen for about a hundred years and also some who are genuine fans of my dad’s work. ( have a look at Brian Appleyard’s blog). As usual,I apologise for the quality of these pictures , taken with my phone.

We must have walked nearly 20 miles over the weekend but it was worth the sore feet to pack in a visit to the Photographers Gallery, the fantastic, atmospheric and slightly creepy Viktor and Rolf exhibition at the Barbican and lots of frustrating shop browsing. I fell in love with everything from All Saints and discovered Desigual. Desigual are a Spanish company who have been around since the 80’s in Spain but recently opened a store on Regent Street which is a riot of colour , texture, embroidery and print. Saturday was a mad dash over to Columbia Road via Spitalfields to take a look at Ryantown and get that signed book! ( and also an old green and cream enamel pan(!) from Vintage Treasures…I think that was the name).Now I must finish some designs and try to earn some money so I can afford that top from Desigual! By the way, what do you think about posting images of current work on the internet? How do you balance self promotion with copyright issues? just a thought….

Diamond Days

I took this photograph last year, in the days when autumn used to be misty and golden with dewy crystal spider webs and purple heather fading to rust.Not this endless parade of grey days and a feeling of constant dampness, like waking up in a tent wearing yesterday’s clothes, yuk!

I’m dying some fabric today,ready to start some freelance designs for New Leaf who are based in Cheshire. I’m really excited about this opportunity because Lisa Graham who owns the agency seems so positive and complimentary about my work. I still think it will be a long time before I see any income from freelancing but I think its just important to keep going because otherwise all that hard work at college will have been for nothing.

Thursday will soon be here and as promised I managed to get a couple of images of the new paintings we’ll be going to see.I think if you look at the website www.Tillyer.com you might be able to see them better, as for some reason they have come out very tiny on this page, they’re actually huge! Take a look at the picture of my daddy in his studio and you’ll get a better idea of the scale. There’s also a video which my brother made which shows “the artist at work” for those of you lucky folk with broadband. Anyway, lets hope that the work gets the critical acclaim it deserves and shows that contemporary art isn’t all about diamond skulls and clearance auctions.

Time to throw another log on the stove and get some stitching done.