Fabric Cells !

Most of January has past by and the master class work went with it. I felt quite lost with no direction and no inspiration. Although I have been stitching - see my main blog for the January finishes. http://witchypoos.blogspot.com/
I also spent time looking at egg plants as part of a true colour challenge from Cloth Paper Scissors. So far I have made a paper quilt and a fabric version too. I have added a slide show of this work on the right hand side bar.

Friday - had my first tutorial of the year ... The discussion came round to Louise B's work and other elements in the exhibtion. We were talking about the book of another artist work which I have been planning to do on Louise, and we discussed adding windows to the pages of the book.

Afterwards I looked at Louise's work that uses windows. Below is one of her Cells. Louise has made a whole series of cells, where she was aiming to make her own architecture rather than depending on the musuem space. The cell hold different displays of times in her life. As you walk round these you cannot go in,only peek in though the the windows. Although the one I have shown here has a lot of windows some are make up of more solid doors where you only have a letter box to look at the contents at different angles.


This started me thinking and the sketch book finally came out. YEY !!!
Here is the first page were I was thinking about shapes which have struture (like a sculpture) with windows. Ialso thought about how this could be created in fabric. On the right although you may not be able to read the writing I was looking at creating windows with machine lace or hardanger.
Next I used a lngth of water colour paper to create a cell.

Then started to sketch the shape, how the shadows fall inside and create more window shapes.
Finally worked a small sample of stitched windows.

So where next ? Want to follow this cell idea more. Look at creating the walls and then stiffening the fabric so that it holds itself up. At the moment it would only be for in door display until I can sort out how to stop the items going limp outside.

What is inside my cell ?? Looking to go back to my fold work/sketches. I have made a creature before using kantha running stitch and stuffing to create a shape. So if I take silk then create a shape which uses folds and running stitch to create walls. I would need stuffing to hold it up. Again I am back to Louise's 3D work, although not sure how organic mine will be.... you never know ;)

Also want to make a start on the book about Louise. It will be concentina, with a window or two, sketches of her work and notes about her written around the sketches which is how Louise herself keeps notes about her work.

Update~ Sunday 27th Jan~

Been looking at the items to go inside the cell. Started to think about a dressmaking dummy and other items which would be in Louise's version... But I was looking at creating a dummy which is more my kind of style. So here is the body need to speak with hubby to create a wooden stand.

As you may just be able to see I have a wire spider on the shoulder !!

Been thinking about creating door shapes in hardanger/machine lace, then making then solid with the glue ... then hanging them together with hinges !?!?? To go round this body need to be quite tall. But as the fabric would be an evenweave it would be slightly opac and you would see outlines from the shapes !!

Happy New Year !

Nothing new to post , just marking the year !

Frosty Installation

It has been SO COLD here we have had a lot of ground frost. So here is the sculpture with ice on !



In the sketch book been working on more images of Louise's work. Planning a small sketch book on her which will be filled with images and notes round them. All the books I have read say that Louise adds notes to what ever she has to hand, thus they appear on the back of art, in the margins of books etc etc ...so I will be adding comments from the artist and my own feelings about the piece of work in the image.... AND there will be a spider , well you have to have a spider !

Installation Update

The pieces have not changed shape. The silk element seems to be getting dirty ! The colour of the word Cotton seems to be loosing its colour ??

I have added a picture of the whole area. You can see how small these are.

Louise Bourgeois

Joined my friend L on Friday afternoon at Tate Modern to see the Louise Bourgeois exhibition.

Mamman was waiting outside.
No camera were allowed in the exhibition but I spent some of the time drawing the oganic shapes in someof her work.
Buildings and how they relate to the family as been a whole area of her work. These tall building based sculptures were created when she lived in New York.
More recently she has move to fabric as a lighter medium than the wood and steel she used to use. Born in 1911, she now needs the lighter materials. This is a tall tower of stuffed tapestry blocks.
Within many of the installations there were pink pin cushions which grew in size between each piece of work. One of the last times the cushion is seen it is the hieght of a human. Needles and threads appear in much of her work as her parents had a business restoring tapestries.
Spiders feature quite a bit. This is a close sketch ofhow she forms the legs and the joints.

Using the leg joint sketch to create a wholespider.

Finally, notes from the day. Louise is reported to write notes and diaries on any available paper. Many of the her drawings have notes in the margins or round the edge.

DISTURBING .... this was the word which L and I agree upon at the end. Louise work needs a broad mind as she deals with organic forms mostly body parts. As Louise willmostlikely become a focus artist for this module, I see these notes being printed on fabric then mounted on an end board for a consatina book. More work on spider legs I think !!

Well there has been a change outside with the sculpture.... Its falling over !!

No I don't mean its been blown over, the points are slowly falling to one side as if the rain has beaten them down. BUT when you touch it, it is still firm ??

Looks worse in this shot but you can see how the silk & cotton are almost laying on their side !

Copper stitching and an Installation

The cotton sample has now totally dried. Here it is sitting on my DH's PC.

Now you can also have a closer look. Unlike the silk, now it is dried you can not tell that this fabric has a hardener on !!!

Anyway I spent some time working on the copper weave to add some embroidery. Being copper you can not use a hoop and you have to be very careful not to bend the copper as you stitch !!

Here is a close up of the copper stitching =)
It took a little time to mould the copper into a simular shape to that made by the drying cotton !

AND FINALLY - the three pieces were install outside. I really think they look like three pieces of fabric have been dropped bit have not quite settled. I have added a few rocks to the edge of the copper sheet to ensure if does not blow away ! This was Saturday morning.... since then we have had LOTS of rain and the last time I popped out to check everything was still in place and looking very much as you see above although wetter !!! =)

Another photo next week and each week as the pieces live in that spot !!
Truely "public art"...well if the public came round my back garden .

Copper and Cotton

Time to get messy again. Started to look at working with cotton. First perpared the fabric square with a little stitching.
Then added a LONG thread to one corner to allow the fabric to beheld up while the fabric was drying.
Next pulled out the Pacerpol, plastic and a bowl.
Poured a little of the guck into the bowl.
Fabric is pushed and squashed into the paverpol. Making sure everything is soaked but not soaking. They say you can use gloves but you can not get the feel of when the fabric is ready that way. Finally, pulled the fabric out and set up to harden. This is where the fabric in the corner comes in as this can be tied to a pole. Hint: Crabtree & Everlyn garden scrub is great for getting paverpol of your hands.

Also started to investigate if the copper fabric can be stitched ?? And YES it can. You have to watch for the odd threads on the edge catching your thread or your hands. Plus you cannot use a hoop...

The fabric is VERY sheeras you can see where I have made french notes but the linkingthreads can be seen, although this could be an useful effect to use !!
Gathering the fabric works too...Above pulled tight and below not so tight. The fabric creates interesting shapes as the light falls on it !!
Now to wait the Paverpol to dry !!!