Category: General

General, Printing

Drifting and Thinking – 22nd September 2022

annwyndean1

There has been a little of this and a little of that over the past few weeks. I wanted to play and toss ideas around and not to think too much about completed pieces of work.

Whilst looking through a box of C18th textiles I was drawn to think more of the bodices that I have. The printing plate was made the exact size of one bodice. It is tiny, 34 x 20cm. It has been cut out and not unpicked, it could have been for a child and was probably a lining, as the queens head is underneath the armpit.

I changed the design to one of chintz flowers.

The underarm seam was intact with the seam allowance of the back attached and this I machine stitched in red silk thread.It was interesting to try a totally different size and shape of plate, a good exercise to ease myself back into printmaking and bookmaking. I wonder where it will lead wherever I am content.

Book Making, General, Printing, Uncategorized

Following On – 15th August 2022

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The continuing hot weather and going away, again, have both slowed my progress. Even my glue stick was melting in the studio!

I have however completed my 32 page book, see last blog for its beginnings. It had been my original intention to create a bundle, but in the end I felt that the bound pages needed some weight to hold them together, both visually and structurally.

I have never used single sheet binding in a completed book before, I liked the way that, by using this form of binding I was still keeping a strong sense of the individual fragments. I used a variegated cotton thread in tones of red through to black to bind, I decided that the variations of colour softened the haze around the paper and was less harsh than a single tone.

The book is called ‘Fragments of Baroque Silk’

My great tidying up of the studio gave me a problem that I hadn’t foreseen, where to position my large sheet of white paper so that I could photograph my books. After several attempts I got there. Still haven’t found my Blu tack though!

So what next……Currently another book artist, from the other side of the world and I are working through procedures and protocols for a collaboration, more details to follow!

Embroidery, Exhibitions, General

Reset – 12th April 2022

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When I had completed the books that featured in my previous blog, I realised that there was no time to complete more books before my next event, see below. Spring had arrived here in North Yorkshire and the garden kicked in, I have enjoyed the physical work and the day to day achievements that gardening provides and consequently I have spent little time in the studio, my mind has drifted.

I have set myself a task, not really ideas based but a method of getting me back to printing and book construction. All my plates have been long landscape shapes, all the better for making concertina books etc. So I thought a square design would be a challenge. The size of the square was determined by some lovely Indian Cotton Rag paper that I have and to compliment the paper I have selected as my design source a piece of early C17th Indian embroidery, slightly larger than a A4 sheet of paper. The silk embroidery is worked onto fine woven cotton with a rough silk Tussah backing to support the stitches. It would have been a coverlet and probably made for export into England.

I have got this far and we will have to see what becomes of the project, I usually know where I am going with an idea , so here I am somewhat in uncharted waters.

But deadlines will prevail, the props for my stand  have been designed and freshly painted, cards have been organised, books still to sort and lists have been made.

Do visit the Printfest website, see http://www.printfest.uk , and see details of the event and the other artists that I am privileged to be exhibiting with. Maybe you’ll be able to visit, it’s a wonderful event and this will be my third time exhibiting.