Notes from an exhibition
Or rather, all the photos from an exhibition and what to do with them
On Wednesday I escaped the household shenanigans. Our one and only bathroom is being refitted: it’s been like camping but with fewer facilities. The round trip to the gym for showers is getting seriously tedious (although my attendance record makes it look like I’m some sort of obsessive gym bunny) not to mention the two minute sprint up to the sports pavilion during the day when I can’t cross my legs any longer.
A day out was definitely called for!
I went for a jaunt across West Sussex and into Surrey to visit the Ramster Embroidery Exhibition with Mrs B for company, and as is usual on these occasions, our conversation was rambling and varied, as we picked our way westwards across the potholes and cart tracks that are England’s roads. There was a mildly panicky moment when I suddenly remembered mid-afternoon that I’d switched on the car headlights on the outward journey due to fog. I’m not sure the time saved by sprinting up the hill to the carpark to check if I’d left them on for the best part of four hours would’ve helped us much if it had been the case. As luck would have it, either I wasn’t a fool and had switched them off by habit, or the car did it for me. We’ll never know, but at least I got some exercise.
And as is also usual, after visiting an embroidery exhibition, we came home with oodles of photos of the things that caught our eye. We both agreed it would be a très valuable exercise to take these photos and actually make notes about WHY we took each one, WHAT it was in particular that drew us to it, and HOW we might translate that into our own work. Naturally, I’ve done none of this. Yet.
For now, here are my candidates for further cogitation:
(See the bottom of the page for artist links where I could find them)
I really need to up my repertoire of hand embroidery stitches. I don’t do much, but when I do, it’d be nice to do a little more than running stitch. In this piece, Hilary has used every stitch beginning with C.
I’m not a burny-melty kinda gal, but I do think Jane’s done a grand job with these autumn leaves, including the way it’s been framed so they cast shadows. What do I like? The expertise - not just the framing, the colour and stitch too.
I had long chats with Jane about local exhibiting opportunities for textiles (mostly none) and Etsy and the like, and we agreed it would be nice to just be able to spend time making the thing, and have someone else (a magical Personal Assistant or somesuch genie) work out what to do about selling it on our behalf.
What do I like? The collage - a mix of fabric, paper, very simple stitch, bright cheerful colours, and SIMPLICITY. Oh I wish I could learn to stop and leave things alone instead of fiddling on and on…
What do I like? The painterly quality of the flowers. Just lovely. Oh yeah, also the simplicity of the stitch - just enough, but it’s mostly the fabric and composition that do the heavy lifting.
What’s NOT to like about this whiskery gentleman?!
I love love love the bright colours in this bag - all sari silk strips. Reckon I might have a few of them…
I mean, come ON. Not only are blackbirds my favourite, this is an exquisite piece of skill and artistry - and unsurprisingly red-dotted. The threads she’s used are so ultra-fine. Looked at this one for a long time.
The only (gasp) cards I bought, by Valerie McCallum again. Such a good idea, to continue the print of the fabric with stitch. Yet again, the stitch is very simple - but very effective.
Jane Robinson had several pieces featuring her own hand painted (I think with batik) papers, from books and cards to these little tags. I particularly like the oriental paper - not sure what language it is, but I have a Japanese friend who may be getting a request for next time she visits home…
This was a fun discovery from Gill Denyer gelernt von Swirls of Colour online course with yours truly!
And finally, me! Unusually, my pieces were all together. Before they’ve been dotted about and I’ve had to go on a treasure hunt for them and the elusive red dots. None of the latter so far, but there’s another whole week and two weekends to go. If you’d like to visit, it’s open 10-5 every day until and including 17 March, has a large and free car park, and an excellent tea room for light lunches, tea, coffee - and of course cake.
How about you?
Do you have photos from exhibitions languishing on your phone or computer? Do you ever look at them again? Do you ever take notes? I used to take a little notepad with me (in fact there was one in my bag) but I’ve got out of the habit of jotting down my thoughts. If I hadn’t been driving, I might’ve been tempted to make a few notes on the way home (it’s why train trips are so much better than car journeys). I guess dictating into voice memos as you walk around is an option, but might collect a few funny looks!
Here’s a few ideas off the top of my head, for what you could do next:
Get them printed and off your phone. I sometimes use free prints, and my daughter uses Cewe to get photo stickers - perfect for sticking in a journal to accompany some notes.
Write out your Whats and Whys and try to get really particular and detailed. It might just be one little aspect that caught your eye (often the case for me) and you think you’ll remember, but do you?
Did looking at something spark an idea? Write it down and/or sketch it out before it disappears!
If it’s the composition you like, try mini mock-ups or thumbnail compositions using collaged paper or fabric scraps. You can use glue stick or double-sided sticky to quickly glue pieces in place.
If it’s the marks you like, record them in a sketchbook - and maybe stitch a few.
If it’s the colours, get out some paints, do some colour mixing, and paint a swatch or grid of the colours you were drawn to. Or find those colours in magazine papers, and create a mood board collage.
If it’s the skill, what does it make you want to want to be better at? How can you practise, or do you need to go and learn from someone?
If it’s the simplicity (hello!) how can you simplify your own work and learn to stop sooner?
If it’s the detail and complexity, how can you keep going with your own work instead of stopping too soon?
I’m sure there’s other ways. The key thing is to do it as soon as you can, before the magic fades. Let me know if you try any of these!
Until next time,
Links to the artists mentioned (I’ve done my best to find them all):
What I like about these is that the initial background fabric doesn’t show. We've moved on so much from the daisy chain table clothes…. Gone is the struggle to find the correct weave/colour/fabric. Now with dyes, bits of fabric sewn together, stitching etc the background is no longer visible. Clashing/blending/whatever you want colours are all acceptable and exciting. My takeaway inspiration…
Hi. I'm flattered to see some of my work on your blog, thank you (the leaves and tags). Yes I take photos at exhibitions too, as a reminder of things that catch my interest. I'm very bad at deleting them, to the frustration of my IT husband who can't believe the size of the files and folders on my laptop! Different things catch my interest - sometimes it's just two colours next to each other, or sometimes a shape. Little things, and I like to have a visual reminder.