Weekend Treat

I have just spent a wonderful two days on a printing workshop with Sue Brown in Cheltenham.  Just what was needed to brighten up this time of year!!

We created collagraph plates using mount board and plaster. The bird above was printed simply by inking up and rubbing back the plate.  The one below was similar, but using two colours and adding a piece of tissue paper as chine collee.

We also learned all about viscosity printing and below are prints from a plate which I decided I did not like so I cut it into two pieces and used them together and then separately.

The third plate I made looked rather like a landscape and after the first print I decided to experiment with colour only partially rollered over the plate which left the blue sky area.

What a lovely way to spend the weekend.  I cannot wait until May when I have booked to take part in a "Monoprinting and Viscosity Printing" 2 day workshop.

Yet More Yorkshire TJ

Way back in October several of my friends from 'Up North' met up in the Lake District for a Retreat week. I arrived early, having much further to travel then everyone else, so had a morning to fill in until the others arrived.  My tutor friend needed something to do after setting up the room so I suggested she make a collage using bits and pieces of stuff we had accumulated about where we were staying.  She made two pieces that concertined using paper, fabric, glue and stitch.  What a surprise I got when I got my YTJ back and found that she had put one of them in as her entry for the year.  As you can probably see it folds outwards when you open the book.

The little wooden 'toilet' woman on the right of the page was acquired from one of the other people enjoying the 'Retreat'. There were men and women of varying sizes - the figures you understand, not the other people on the break!! Perhaps it could apply to them too I think.

This is the cover of my YTJ for last year which I am currently working on before it sets off on a new journey.

Another 'Grand Day Out'

On Friday I was lucky enough to be able to meet one of my 'Northern' pals up in Birmingham.  Although it was not a very bright idea to travel by train during Half Term week! It was standing room only all the way to Birmingham, but we did have a good old catch up though.  The photograph above is the reflection in one of the hotels located near to the Birmingham Library.  I think it is the Hilton.  Loved the distortion of the image of the crane and the contrasting black and white areas.

Fiddled in Photoshop and extracted a portion of it.

John Lewis was also a major feature of our day out and these amazing larger than life fabric insects can be found in the Curtain Department.  I believe they are made from several of the many fabrics they have for sale. They were located on the wall above some enormous fungi which were also made from the wide range of furnishing fabrics they stock.

 

Hanging from the ceiling above the rolls of curtain fabrics there is a long drift of flying birds which I had not seen before - and I have been in there three times recently!!

Finally, we popped to the Ikon Gallery to see the latest exhibitions before dashing off to catch our return trains. So a fantastic day out .....

When's a Weed Not a Weed?

When it is a piece of artwork or course ....

 and there was also a crocus ....

These two were from the Watts Gallery.  Thought I would include a couple more pictures from the Yorkshire Travelling Journal too.

2015 Travelling Sketchjbook

I received my own Travelling Journal back recently and thought I would share some of the lovely pages with you ....

I have been doing an allotment theme for a while and so several of the members of the group have added pages which are garden related.

Is this Spring I espy?

I am not so easily fooled!  Whilst I was away at the weekend the newly planted daffodils under the front hedge decided to burst open their buds.  The celandines have been out for some time now and we have large, cup shaped, yellow and purple crocus out in the front lawn. A little reminder of 'The Stray' in Harrogate, but doubt they are out that far North just yet.

The visit to Wisley showed us how far behind we are here ...

The reeds and seedheads were fabulous too

but I bet you are all glad you have not got this huge bug in your garden ...

More Watts

These three images are from the alter in the Watts Chapel.  The designs were very intricate and I found it almost impossible to decipher the wording which is cleverly hidden.  It is hard to believe that the raised work is built up on a surface of chicken wire, hessian and gesso plasterwork.  The video, which is on display in the new gallery, goes through the various stages of construction and is extremely interesting. Having looked at the panel above again I think it says 'The Tabernacle of the Lord'.  I must consult my reference book for an explanation.

This was a very large panel on display in the new gallery.

Watts Gallery

Visited my best friend in Surrey at the weekend as we have birthdays on the same day and it is a great excuse to do something together.

We went to the gardens at Wisley on Saturday afternoon and it was so so cold my fingers turned blue.

Sunday was wet so the suggestion of a visit to the Watts Gallery at Compton, which is mostly an indoor activity with a bit of walking from one point to another, proved to be an excellent choice.  A new gallery had opened the previous week next to 'Limnerslease' house and Watts Studio.  We had lunch at the Tea Shop - which was that good we went back for tea and cake later on.

The gravestone above was at the Watts Chapel and I thought the words were very relevant still today.

' .... No friendship dieth

With death of any day

No true friendship lieth

Cold with lifeless clay.

Though our boyhood's playtime

Be gone with Summer's breath

No friendship fades with May-time

No friendship dies with death'

JRS

We realised that it was almost 5 years since we had been there before and DH had never been at all so he got a huge surprise.  I wanted to draw in the chapel but it was far too cold but I was lucky enough to come home with a book about the symbolism which will prove an endless source of inspiration for years to come.

A mirrored dome which enables visitors to view the ceiling (and themselves!).

One of the gesso panels in the new gallery

Detail of one of the many flowers which cover the walls in the chapel.