Deadlines, deadlines!
Now my parents have left and the container’s contents
have been unceremoniously dumped into the garage, I have to get to work in
earnest.
The deadline for my contributions to the Living Threads exhibition is the end of the week, but is it still full on sunshine all day
everyday and the beach is so close – sorry to go on about it, but having lived
through last ‘summer’ in the UK, it is a continual treat to get up to blue
skies and sunshine pretty much every day. It won’t last I know, but while it
does it can be hard to sit in a cool room and stitch. Perhaps I have to find a
technique which will allow me to sit in the open air? More hand stitching maybe?
And should the work I make be dictated by the weather and where I want to sit
rather than creative development? Probably not really, so back inside to the
sewing machine it is!
The pieces are coming on. I decided that as they were
going to the UK, that they should be about the landscape in my new home. One of
my last bodies of work was based on the bare winter landscapes of southern
Derbyshire. These new pieces will reflect my adoration of the sea.
Here are a selection of images which I am using as starting points for the work.
Piece 1: Omaha Beach daytime
Piece 2: Omaha beach at sunset
Piece 3: Rothesay Bay
Piece 4: Sunrise over Rangitoto Island
Piece 5: Piha
Having started
scuba diving at the age of 16, I decided to study Marine Biology and so spent
my degree years by the coast in Bangor, North Wales. Ever since then I have loved the feeling of
being by the seashore in any and all weathers. Something about the openness,
the sounds, smells and the changing nature of the seascape is relaxing. Does
anyone else feel that way about a type of environment?
As usual, making almost any work for me involves burning
something. In the case of these pieces it was deliberate and under control when
I set to and melted plenty of nylon organza to make it bubble and texture. Remember
if you are going to melt any manmade fabrics over an open flame that you need
to be in a well ventilated area because not only does it smell pretty bad, but
it also gives off noxious fumes which you don’t want to be breathing in.
 |
| Melting nylon organza - necessary but smelly! |
The pieces are still in development and will change considerably yet, but so far:
 |
| Starting points, better get on quickly! |
I paid a return visit to Helensville (the town with the great
antique shop), to meet an ex-UK textile artist who has well and truly
established herself here in NZ. Jo Dixey trained at the Royal School of
Needlework, it turns out that we have a mutual friend in textile collector and
writer John Gillow, (they do say that in New Zealand the traditional six points
of separation become two, and here we are at one point from across the globe!
and we had a lovely chat about our lives and reasons for being in New Zealand.
I came away feeling that I had gained a new friend and hope to be working with
Jo and keeping in touch.See her blog here
I popped over to the Auckland Patchwork and Quilters to hear
their March speaker last weekend. What a great idea to end a meeting with a
lighthearted thought for the month. And only in New Zealand would you hear this
read out by the Guild President at a meeting of a couple of hundred patchwork
and quilters ...
Renault and Ford have joined forces to create the perfect small
car for women.
Mixing the Renault 'Clio' and the Ford 'Taurus' they have
designed the 'Clitaurus'. It comes in pink, and the average male car
thief won't be able to find it - let alone turn it on - even if someone tells
him where it is and how to do it.
Rumor has it though, that it leaks transmission fluid once a month, and can be
a real bitch to start in the morning! Some
have reported that on cold winter mornings, when you really need it, you can't
get it to turn over.
New models are initially fun to own, but very costly to maintain, and horribly
expensive to get rid of. Used models may initially appear to have curb appeal
and a low price, but eventually have an increased appetite for fuel, and the
curb weight typically increases with age. Manufacturers are baffled as to how
the size of the trunk increases, but say that the paint may just make it LOOK
bigger.
Please
note that this model is not expected to reach collector status. Most owners find it is best to lease one,
and replace when it becomes troublesome.
Now if parting shots like that are given every month, it
might be a reason to join the group! I look forward to giving a talk to the
group at their April meeting.
