As we
approach the end of the year, I want to share a lovely collection of images
from workshops held in New Zealand, Tasmania, Australia, Jersey and England and
a list of workshops I am booked to lead in 2020. I do hope that you will be
able to join me on at least one of them. Or if not, enjoy these images and keep
making your own work.
One of the joys of visiting groups and events is that I get to meet
people with fascinating backgrounds and life stories, and tutors whose work is
amazing, expert, thoughtful and inspiring. I am so very thankful for this part
of my life, it gives me great joy. Thank you to everyone whose efforts make these
events happen. Without massive energy and commitment in the background these
workshops and events would not take place. At times organisers get the sticky
end of the stick for things which may not go quite to plan rather than thanks
for everything that goes right. SO … Three cheers to organisers, participants,
artists and ‘biletteers’ (I made that word up, meaning the ladies or families
who volunteer to put me up whilst I am with their group - especially ones with
wine cellars to taste from!)
Here are just a small selection:
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Martien van Zuilen, Fibres West convenor
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| Tasmanian biletteers; Andrea and Popcorn |
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| Auckland Quilt Symposium: Some of the organisers. |
After a few
creative retreats at my Studio for visiting groups during April, I travelled to
Tasmania. This was a first for me and an island I definitely want to re-visit
as a tourist, maybe even allowing my husband along! The historical buildings
still in evidence mixed with modern developments, the restorations and reuse of
old factory and dock buildings give Hobart a lovely atmosphere. The Arts
Centre, the Salamanca Craft market, the Sunday Farmer’s market, the abundance
of artisanal food businesses all made for enjoyable additions to my trip. You
don’t have to look far in Tasmania for fabulous inspiration. I took the ferry
over to MONA (Museum of Old and New Art). What more can I say, MONA is a pretty
unique art museum and gallery. A sentiment echoed by everyone who is able to
visit.
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| Hobart, Tasmania |
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| MONA, Tasmania |
I visited to work with the energetic and skilled ‘Stitching and Beyond’
group. For 2 days I introduced metal and other surfaces such as Lutradur,
burning chiffons, stitch, felting, silk papers and more. These surfaces were
then considered by the members and individual work was developed over the next
2 days. An intensive time, but long enough to really start to get to grips with
the ideas and begin to create pieces which translated the techniques into
personal responses to the brief of looking at geological formation.
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| Natural Layers workshop by Alysn Midgelow-Marsden, for Stitching and Beyond, Tasmania |
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| Natural Layers workshop by Alysn Midgelow-Marsden, for Stitching and Beyond, Tasmania |
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| Natural Layers workshop by Alysn Midgelow-Marsden, for Stitching and Beyond, Tasmania |
Flying back to mainland Australia I joined the Fibre Arts Australia team
for the Ballarat April 2019 event. Not having been to Ballarat before, it was a
pleasure to have time to walk around the lake, spotting a pelican, and to visit
the Art Gallery/Museum. In addition to several absorbing exhibitions, I can
thoroughly recommend the food there! Ballarat gave me the chance to expand to 5
days a design based course called ‘Draw and Stitch Permutations’, during which
we developed work in a reactive, improvisational manner through the use of
marks on paper, stains, print, burning, metal fabrics and manipulated wires.
The benefit of a longer course is that that everyone was able to push
themselves further and to develop in personal ways.
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| Draw and Stitch Permutations, tutor Alysn Midgelow-Marsden for Fibre Arts Australia |
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| Draw and Stitch Permutations, tutor Alysn Midgelow-Marsden for Fibre Arts Australia |
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| Draw and Stitch Permutations, tutor Alysn Midgelow-Marsden for Fibre Arts Australia |
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| Draw and Stitch Permutations, tutor Alysn Midgelow-Marsden for Fibre Arts Australia |
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| Draw and Stitch Permutations, tutor Alysn Midgelow-Marsden for Fibre Arts Australia |
Travelling
gives a chance to experience new environments, flora and fauna. In Tasmania I
met Pademelons (small, desperately cute marsupials) which were completely new
to me, and in Riddells Creek near Melbourne, I was able to put a tick on my
bucket list when I met a wild Koala bear. Such a thrill! (Though I am absolutely
sure the Koala was not bothered one way or the other about me).
Andrea (my
host in Hobart) made the suggestion that I read a book about pre-colonial
indigenous life and agricultural practices, ‘Dark Emu’ by Bruce Pascoe (ISBN 9781921248016). It was a very interesting, sobering read and being
in Australia at the same time, it really encouraged me to consider the
environment surrounding me in Australia and perhaps the future too. I would
recommend it to you.
The 50th Creative Fibre Event in Palmerston North, New Zealand
came hot on the heels of Australia. I suspect I was selected as the ‘off the
wall’ tutor. Nestled amongst classes on weaving, spinning, knitting and other
fibre crafts and events, I spent the weekend using Angelina fibres and weaving
with metal, wire, fibre and beads and generally burning stuff.
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| Creative Fibre, NZ Workshops |
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| Workshop 'Wild Wire Weaving' for Creative Fibre, NZ, by Alysn Midgelow-Marsden |
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| Workshop 'Wild Wire Weaving' for Creative Fibre, NZ, by Alysn Midgelow-Marsden |
May brought a week of workshops and art based events to our local
village in the form of Creative Matakana. My contribution this year was to
consider a different pace of working, placing the emphasis on ‘slow’ stitching,
reusing fabric and creating (mostly) functional items influenced by Japanese
Boro, Indian Kantha, European darning and visible mending.
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| Creative Matakana, 'Visible Mending'. Tutor Alysn Midgelow-Marsden |
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| 'Visible Mending' for Creative Matakana by Alysn Midgelow-Marsden |
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| 'Visible Mending' for Creative Matakana by Alysn Midgelow-Marsden |
In July I hopped back on a plane to Australia, firstly to Perth for the
awesome Fibres West event, to Evocative Arts in Adelaide and to Timeless
Textiles in Newcastle.
At Fibres West we considered the process of drawing,
printing, stitching and fabrics as an iterative developmental process called
‘The Space Between’, whilst surrounded by displays, talks and Bollywood
parties. Fabulous.
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| Fibres West girls 2019 |
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| The Space Between Workshop by Alysn Midgelow-Marsden for Fibres West |
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| The Space Between Workshop by Alysn Midgelow-Marsden for Fibres West |
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| The Space Between Workshop by Alysn Midgelow-Marsden for Fibres West |
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| The Space Between Workshop by Alysn Midgelow-Marsden for Fibres West |
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| The Space Between Workshop by Alysn Midgelow-Marsden for Fibres West |
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| Interactive sculpture and impromptu performance. Artist: Tania Spencer (at the front here) |
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| Bollywood Down Under Style at Fibres West |
At Evocative Arts we approached many mixed media and fibre
surfaces, sampling from Angelina fibres, paint effects, gilding and more.
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| For Evocative Arts, Adelaide |
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| For Evocative Arts, Adelaide |
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| For Evocative Arts, Adelaide |
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| For Evocative Arts, Adelaide |
And for
Timeless Textiles we developed repeat patterns and negative space patterns using
printing and stitching to develop work.
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| The Space Between by Alysn Midgelow-Marsden for Timeless Textiles, Newcastle, Australia |
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| The Space Between by Alysn Midgelow-Marsden for Timeless Textiles, Newcastle, Australia |
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| The Space Between by Alysn Midgelow-Marsden for Timeless Textiles, Newcastle, Australia |
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| Newcastle sunset |
During June, August and most of September I took time in the studio
beginning the process of developing new work which I hope will become something
worth showing. I enjoyed it anyway!
At the end of September, I hosted the one and only Kim Thittichai for a
couple of days before the Auckland Quilt Symposium, during which we were both
tutors. My teaching at the Symposium was a whirlwind of busy-ness, messiness
and colour spending just 2 day stitching onto metal to develop three
dimensional vessels and then three days ‘Rusting and Gnarling’. A full house of
enthusiasm, experimentation and cross fertilisation. Well done all, especially
the 2 who had never done anything similar before and had a blast!
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| Auckland Quilt Symposium 2019 |
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| Rusty and Gnarly for the Auckland Quilt Symposium by Alysn Midgelow-Marsden |
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| Rusty and Gnarly for the Auckland Quilt Symposium by Alysn Midgelow-Marsden |
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| Metal Vessel for the Auckland Quilt Symposium by Alysn Midgelow-Marsden |
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| Metal Vessel for the Auckland Quilt Symposium by Alysn Midgelow-Marsden |
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| Metal Vessel for the Auckland Quilt Symposium by Alysn Midgelow-Marsden |
Just a week to repack and I was UK bound. I first flew across to Jersey for
four separate days of different media and approaches including line, wire,
gilding, burning, staining and stitching.
My Taking Textiles Further Workshops were again held near to Nottingham.
These I organise myself, and if you are interested in being on my mailing list to
find out more, contact me and let me know. Also look out for the Facebook
events with details for 2020 as soon as they are available. This year we
developed repeat patterns with negative spaces (The Space Between) and made
rich, textured panels thinking about Autumnal Surfaces in felt, metal, shrink plastic,
wires and beads.
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| Autumnal Surfaces workshop by Alysn Midgelow-Marsden |
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| Autumnal Surfaces workshop by Alysn Midgelow-Marsden |
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| Autumnal Surfaces workshop by Alysn Midgelow-Marsden |
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| Autumnal Surfaces workshop by Alysn Midgelow-Marsden |
Soon after at the Stitched Up and Fleeced Studio, Sheffield, we made
felted and stitched baubles and hangings and used applique techniques with
Angelina fibres.
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| Angelic Applique workshop by Alysn Midgelow-Marsden |
At the Windsor and Maidenhead Embroiderer’s Guild we used
soluble fabric and metal to create wall art in just 1 day.
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| Metal panel in a day workshop by Alysn Midgelow-Marsden |
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| Metal panel in a day workshop by Alysn Midgelow-Marsden |
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| Metal panel in a day workshop by Alysn Midgelow-Marsden |
At Craft Arena in Billericay we
deconstructed photographic images to look at perspective and memories then
interpreted these in needle felt, metal fabric, image transfer and burning
techniques.
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| Craft Arena, Essex |
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| Textures and Memories Workshop by Alysn Midgelow-Marsden |
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| Textures and Memories Workshop by Alysn Midgelow-Marsden |
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| Textures and Memories Workshop by Alysn Midgelow-Marsden |
Then a wonderful and poignant visit to Art Van Go in Knebworth for
more ‘Draw and Stitch Permutations’. I say poignant as Viv and Kev, who are
absolute icons of the textile art scene in the UK, have made a decision to slow
down and may well not be open by the end of 2020. Many of us are feeling mixed
emotions about this – delighted that Viv and Kev who are the hardest working
couple I can think of, with great grace, patience and knowledge, will be able
to enjoy life in a new way, but sad that a go-to place for materials,
exhibitions, workshops and advice won’t be available to us for much longer.
After a few days of consolidation and social catch-ups (another fabulous
part of my UK visits) there was a day using Angelina fibres with Lutterworth Stitchers,
a day working with the East Midlands Region of the Embroiderer’s Guild looking
at ways to interpret the prose or poetry of local authors, and finally a day at
the Artist in Action Stand at the Harrogate Knitting and Stitching Show which
as usual was a great opportunity to talk to visitors about the materials I use
and how I manipulate them to create finished pieces.
Towards the end of this visit the days were really drawing in, the rain kept
falling and if it wasn’t raining, there was frost! I invested in a new coat and
jumper and was glad of a little Vitamin D boost back in New Zealand.
My diary for 2020 is filling up; April and September see me in
Australia, May and July are in New Zealand and October and November are being
spent in the UK again. Though that might sound busy, there are still some
spaces in which I could travel to your group or you come to me. Please do get
in touch if you are interested and we will see what works. Check out the list
below for details of where I am so far.
For full details check out the ‘Out and About’ page. If you are
interested in an information letter once or twice a year, send me an email or
keep up on FB and Instagram.
There are still several dates which we are working on, and I’ll add those as
soon as I have confirmations! Keep your eyes open and ears peeled!
2020 UK
15 - 17 October. Merioneth Textiles, Wales. Contact: Pat Gibson pat.textile@gmail.com
21- 22 October.
Taking Textiles Further. Risley Village Hall, near Nottingham. Contact: Alysn at
takingtextilesfurther@gmail.com
for more details
24 October. Avalon, Somerset Contact: jo.hyam@talk21.com
30 - 31 October. Wolverhampton EG. Contact: wolverhamptonchair@embroiderersguild.co.uk
Finally a couple of words from you:
‘On behalf of all the members of the Mixed Media
Junkies, I like to say thanks so much for your generous tutorage and
fabulous hospitality. Alysn you gave us such a variety of techniques. This was
truly appreciated.’
‘I
just wanted to say a huge thank you for the workshop at Art Van Go last week,
we had such a blast. I’m busily hand stitching so I can finish the piece, and
will use you as my very inspirational textile artist for my Advance Texture and
Stitch course’
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| Me enjoying the beautiful coast of Newcastle, Australia |
