Every artist was first an amateur.

 

So as I've been having plenty of spare time recently, I decided to try and teach myself something new.

I've always really wanted to be able to crochet as it looked fun (and more modern than knitting), and my mom had tried once to no avail, so I thought out of the hundreds of crochet videos on youtube, one of them had to work for me!

So after watching a few videos, and reading a couple of intro's to 'beginners crochet' books, I just couldn't tell if I was doing it right or not. I mean something was happening...I just didn't know if it was crochet!?

Then I found the one! It was an American guy (without the patronizing/overly excited voice that the others seemed to have) who seems to do videos for a couple of channels ('GoodKnitKisses' and 'The Crochet Crowd'), that were sooooooooooo simple to understand, I got hooked on just watching them all, and started to practice, and finally got it!

So I attempted to do the octagonal motif in one of the books, although it looked a tad different in the pictures in the book, so something wasn't quite right.

So I thought I'd try something a little more difficult, and I noticed it had a stitch in it that I hadn't learnt, so I tried to find the same guy on youtube doing it, but couldn't, so I went to the next best looking video (videojugartscrafts), who right at the beginning mentioned this was the UK stitch, and said what to look up if you wanted the US version.

So I ended up re-learning the names of each stitch (which wasn't so bad as I hardly knew to start), but thankfully all the stitches were the same, just called different things. So I crocheted this rose :)

FINALLY! I think I got it. Now, just got to practice till it's perfect.

It is said that All Hallows' Eve is one of the nights when the veilbetween the worlds is thin - and whether you believe in such things or not, those roaming spirits probably believe in you, or at leastacknowledge your existence, considering that it used to be their own.

Well it's that time of year again...HALLOWEEN! And boy is it my favourite!

There is absolutely nothing I love better than carving pumpkins, and this year I invested in Lino cutting tools to do it.

I decided quite early on (yes, I plan my pumpkin picture ahead of time because I get SO excited I just have to do something!) that I wanted to do a layer effect image, so had been searching for an idea I could adapt to fit layers.

 

Yes I know my pumpkins are green, they're home grown accidentally by my Dad, and weren't given enough time to orange up, but I like it! 

Seeing as it was my first attempt using Lino tools, I don't think it turned out too badly, although I was incredibly nervous about how deep to go and think I could have pushed it a little more. And it probably took me way longer than someone used to the tools, but I got the hang of it in the end and didn't want to stop (as usual).

Having spent hours on my first pumpkin, I only had a little while left until it got dark, so had a nice simple design in mind for this one. 

Like I said, it's simple - but I've had the picture in my head for a while and wanted to see it come to life. And while I can sit and point out everything that is wrong with it, I think the teeth do it proud, I think they look fairly snarly and it's what I'm most proud of currently haha.

I hope everyone had a great October <3

It is the nature of the strong heart, that like the palm tree itstrives ever upwards when it is most burdened.

'The Tree of Life'.

So we did this activity at my art therapy class and I just thought I had to share. It was so worthwhile to do, I'd love to start a permanent one at home, but maybe with leaves instead of hearts and doves.

You see, you make the tree, and decorate with hearts filled with positive things in your life/on your mind, and fill the doves with the negative (so they can fly away and take them with them).

It really separated you from your feelings, which was such a relief! You don't realise how much you let them overcome you, and be a part of who you are, no matter how small. It felt so good just to take a step back to see everything in hindsight.

Live as if you were to die tomorrow. Learn as if you were to liveforever.

So seeing as I have now graduated with a foundation degree in art, and have a full year to wait for the top up, I decided to learn more about art therapy as a possible pathway for the future, so have taken on evening classes in it.

As you might guess the first night was full of bonding tasks and observation tasks which ended up in these two stunning newspaper, tape and staple outfits (including shoes, jewellery, handbag and hats), which was a good laugh and a lot of fun.

I can deffinately imagine some of the kids from summer school loving this!

Art in Action 2013

So on Thursday I took my first visit to Art in Action in Oxford.

I'd heard about it from a few of the makers I'd met at the Contemporary Craft Festival in Bovey Tracey, so decided to go along seeing as it was fairly close and the weather was going to be scorching!

Boy am I glad I went! Definitely one to write in the diary for next year. It was full to the brim of inspiration and such inspiring people, and the atmosphere was glorious.

 I absolutely fell in love with Simon Griffiths Sculptures - of owls especially - when I was there, and thought they were so beautiful and realistic! (www.simongriffithssculpture.co.uk)

In fact I seemed to be attracted to watching a fair few of the sculptures in action whilst I was there, I think a really magical thing to watch coming alive.

I don't know how I'd feel doing art live, maybe something to build up to!

Exhibition Take-Down

So on Friday the end of year exhibition at OCVC Banbury, where my Telephone Box has been hanging for the last week, started to be taken down.

My reservations about hanging the fairly heavy telephone box from the hollow ceiling for 2 weeks, now gone. Originally I thought I was going to hate it being hung, but after hours of balancing and sewing fishing wire throughout it, it finally looked the part (even if it did get bashed about by the bustle of people at the incredibly busy Private View a couple of weeks ago).

I don't know what I'm going to do with my Telephone Box now, as it's quite big and takes up a fair bit of space, but I feel it deserves more than being shoved in the corner of a room for years to come. It was one thing trusting the strength of the college ceilings to hang it, but trusting my own at home I feel is a complete nightmare waiting to happen.

Maybe it will become my 5 month old niece, and 34 month nephew's safe place, like everyone who talked to me about it wanted it to be for them, haha :)

Leamington Peace Festival

Last weekend was the yearly Leamington Peace Festival for thousands of people in Warwickshire - a free family festival with constant music, loads of stalls and plenty of food.

I went to sus-out what kinds of things sold well and what kinds of people went as a possible option for me in the future.

I found a stall with these gorgeous rings made from shells, which I absolutely loved! They're so fun and different, I've not seen anything like them before! As I do at most festivals and fairs I limited myself to one purchase, and I dug round these shell rings for a good while until I found one which was more my style with a black and white swirled top - very Tim Burton stylé.

There were some lovely pieces at the Peace Festival as there always is, although I find it's one of those places you really have to root around to find them.

Next up on my Art fairs and festivals radar is New Designers in London in just over a week which I can't wait for. It'll be lovely to see what other graduates are doing.
 

Bovey Tracey Contemporary Craft Festival 2013

So on Sunday I went to the Contemporary Craft Festival in Bovey Tracey, as I went last year and absolutely loved it!

It was the 10th anniversary this year, and there was so much going on. So many beautiful piece to fall in love with, which of course I did!

The stall I kept going back to had some exquisite handbags and purses made with vintage used postcards where the picture was the front and the writing, the back. They had beautiful old style hand-writing and stamps, and are so unique! I ended up spending ages pouring through them (wanting a Blackpool one), and when I got home and read the back, found it was from Joyce and John, who happen to be my grandparents! (http://sarahculleton.bigcartel.com/)

I can't wait for next year to come around so I can go back! But in the meanwhile, loads of people where mentioning Art in Action in Oxfordshire in July, yesterday, so it looks like that's the next thing to look forward to.

Up And Running

In what feels like no time my degree has come to an end! I can't believe the end is now here, after feeling like a million miles away right up until hand in.

As you can see my final piece was this cushdy K6 telephone box, and although there's a good few things I would have done differently if I could (and the worst problems came within the last 24 hours of hand in, and my God was that a long 24 hours!), I am really proud of the final outcome :) and find it's really quite similar to a few older pieces I once did. It is a representation of a small village I know.

Whilst I'm looking forward to the next year of no degree deadlines, I'm also terrified of not being in education for the first time in my life! Although I'm also really excited to be able to start making my own work finally, and the hope is to make, make, make for the next year before I fully get into craft fairs and the like for more of an income. I guess I'll also have to start looking for a little job to keep me going! Lets just hope the motivation keeps on going!!!

In a years time I'm hoping to be accepted to do the top-up course to add to my degree at the same place I did my diploma and degree. But in the mean time I would like to keep my toes in the water by doing evening or short courses to fund my knowledge further within the textiles and fine art world.

Bring it on!

FMP Books

So my plan for my books has changed again. So many people said they like the texture and look of the stitch in front of you that I've gone with stitching onto paper and leaving the rough thread loose.

Now I've finally got some 95% complete in front of me, I love them, and can't wait to see them completely finished and all together.

I wanted to do a couple of different designs for them, but now think I won't have enough time sadly, although if I do find a couple of hours spare I would like to get a couple made just to see.

I can't wait until next weekend and being at BA.B.E. and seeing everyone's books and feeling the atmosphere, although trying to find the time to get as many books completed as possible before then, feels like a bit of a challenge!

FMP Artist Book Build-Up

So as part of my final major project I have to create a minimum of 3 copies of an artist book to sell at BABE (www.arnolfini.org.uk/whatson/babe-2013-bristol-artists-book-event).

Seeing as I started my FMP by looking at a little village called Eathorpe in Warwickshire, I thought I'd continue that research with the artist book. And am I glad I did! So there's only 4 weeks until the event, and I haven't even started printing my books yet!

I decided that I was so content with my sewing and fabric play that I'd try and continue the theme within my books, so I have been drawing with stitch some items that stood out to me in the village (some of which I am also going to include in the main part of my FMP), and then I hope to screen print them into traditional paper books.

This image is of the back of my teasel drawing and I just thought it looked so pretty this way I had to show you! I'd spent a good while threading all the loose threads to the back which is the most time-consuming, mundane task, and then I looked at the back of it and had a surge of inspiration to continue and do many, many more!

Helen Slater Glass

Last Tuesday Helen Slater gave a talk about her work as a visiting speaker at college.

Helen is predominantly glass based and has done some of the most beautiful pieces including life drawings straight into glass, life sized nudes and block scenes where whilst the glass is liquid, lifts the ink from the drawn items and creates the most amazing patterns in the glass (especially when you view it side on).

Her work really makes me want to try something new, experiment with different medias and attempt something 3D, which I've never particularly tried, but think it's going to be something I'll constantly think about until I do, as seems to be the way with me!

Her work is so inspiring and continually changing, I can't wait to see what she does next!

http://www.helenslaterglass.co.uk