Hippystitch

Monday 21 October 2024

Monet at York Art Gallery

Claude Monet - The Water-Lily Pond - 1899

As part of the celebrations of the National Gallery's 200th year, a number of its famous works have been loaned, from London, to regional galleries. The Water-Lily Pond, painted in 1899, by Claude Monet (1840-1926) came north and was central to an exhibition at York Art Gallery from May to September 2024.

The picture, which is a cropped view with loads of texture from the thick brush strokes, depicts Monet's much loved water garden at his house in Giverny in France. Monet was a founder of Impressionism, a 19th Century art movement concerned with painting ordinary subjects, often outdoors, accurately depicting light to create a picture that caught the essence of a scene rather than an accurate depiction.

Having imagined I had plenty of time to see this exhibition, I only managed to get there on the final day. I don't think I was the only one who was in that position, as all the online tickets had sold out and there was a queue to get in!

Claude Monet - The Water-Lily Pond
Details showing texture

There was a short film of Monet painting in his garden at Giverny. What struck me most about this was the fact he was smoking while painting and his cigarette had an very long end of ash which I kept expecting to see fall onto his paint palette. Added texture - who knows?

Camille Corot
The Convent of Sant'onofrio on the Janiculum, Rome
1826

To accompany the exhibition there were works by artists who led the way in painting in the open air, as Monet did and also artists who were influenced by Monet's work and then new work by contemporary artist Michaela Yearwood-Dan, who was inspired by both Monet's The Water-Lily Pond and by the Japanese woodblock prints of which he was so fond.

Narcisse-Virgilio Diaz de la Pena
The Feast at Fontainebleau - 1865-70

Diaz (1807-1876) not only painted outdoors but was a core member of the Barbizon School, who were a group of painters who gathered near the village of Barbizon to paint the Forest of Fontainebleau.

Monet had a fondness for Japanese woodblock prints. This one is by Utagawa Hiroshige (1797-1858)...

Utagawa Hiroshige
Shimotsuke Province: Mount Nikko, Urami Waterfall - 1853

Ethel Walker (1861-1951) was inspired by the Impressionist Exhibitions she visited in Paris and this influenced her style...

Ethel Walker - Landscape at Robin Hood's Bay - 1942-48

It was also interesting to see that the canvas had been stitched together...

Ethel Walker - Landscape at Robin Hood's Bay detail

Leticia Marion Hamilton (1878-1964) was also influenced by the Impressionists, evidenced by this unusual view of Ouse Bridge and her painted textures ...

Leticia Marion Hamilton - Ouse Bridge, York - 1925-31

The Michaela Yearwood-Dan: Una Sinfonia series of paintings were alive with colour and texture incorporating ceramic petals and beads. She took the seasons as her starting point and Monet's fascination with the changing quality of light.

I loved these large colourful canvases...

Michaela Yearwood-Dan
When the green turns to gold, I settle in your nook

Michaela Yearwood-Dan - Ready, Steady, GO!

Her paintings included ceramic flower petals...

Michaela Yearwood-Dan
Ready, Steady, GO! - detail

and beads...

Michaela Yearwood-Dan
Will you still love me tomorrow?

We are told that Michaela Yearwood-Dan's work draws on a range of influences: Blackness, queerness, femininity healing rituals and carnival culture and that she endeavours to build spaces of community, abundance and joy. I certainly found her work very joyful.

There was lots more to see at the York Art Gallery including some particularly fine work by women artists. In addition there is a large selection of British Studio Ceramics in the Centre of Ceramic Art (CoCA) which is on the first floor. I particularly liked this chap (see above) but I didn't catch his name.

Tuesday 1 October 2024

Create/Elevate at Harewood House

Stitched Detail from Common Threads

On until 20 October at Harewood House (inside and outside), Create/Elevate is the third Harewood Biennial and celebrates the power of craft to inspire people, collaborate and imagine new worlds. Sixteen British and international artists have their work on show within three interwoven themes: New Narratives which offer fresh perspectives on Harewood's collections and history, The Use of Land addressing issues of local and global ecology and Nourish which explores the conviviality of sharing food and knowledge.

The Harewood estate was founded on money from the West Indian sugar trade. The money came from owning plantations, slaves, ships and warehouses and thus is steeped in colonialism. “I believe very strongly that we can change things in the present, but for better or for worse there is nothing that any of us can do about history and the past.” David Lascelles, Earl of Harewood. We are told that "The contemporary exhibits provide new ways to engage with the centuries of craft artistry embedded within the interiors of Harewood House. Create/Elevate shows how artists and makers work collectively to affect societal change and promote social equity."

Common Threads
Collaboratively embroidered textile panels
Themes: New Narratives & Nourish

A couple of the exhibits were part of the British Textile Biennial (BTB) which took place in Lancashire in 2023 which you can read more about here, here & here. Common Threads was one of these. Part of both the New Narratives & Nourish themes here at Harewood, Common Threads was stitched by women from the South Asian community in Burnley, Leeds, Pendle & Karachi, Pakistan, introduced by textile artist, Alice Kettle. Participants shared stories of family and home and working with artist Rabia Sharif, stitched their experiences of these into panels...

Common Threads
Collaboratively embroidered textile panels
Themes: New Narratives & Nourish

Rebecca Chesney, another BTB exhibitor, made her windsock installation from tents discarded after music festivals. She sees it as an indicator of current conditions and a barometer of the climate crisis. I was particulary pleased to see this, as I hadn't managed to see it at the BTB. It is an indicator of the amount of waste left behind after festivals..

Rebecca Chesney - Conditions at Present
Windsocks made from reclaimed tent fabric
Theme: The Use of Land

Jakup Ferri's exhibit was co-created with women artisans from Albania, Kosovo, Burkina Faso & Suriname. We are told that the installation supports carpet making and embroidery as techniques of inclusion, coherence and community building. It was wonderfully colourful and quirky..

Jakup Ferri - The Monumentality of the Everday
Handwoven carpets, embroidered textiles & paintings
Theme: New Narratives

Emefa Cole is honouring the spirit of enslaved Africans through her Baobab tree sculptures. This African tree is revered for its ability to survive in the harshest conditions and is a great source of natural health remedies..

Emefa Cole - Untitled
Wax-cast Bronze Sculptures
Themes: New Narratives & The Use of the Land

Rosa Harradine's brushes and brooms explore the notions of functionality, beauty & experimentation...

Rosa Harradine - Fibre & Form
Handmade brushes & brooms
Themes: New Narratives & The Use of the Land

The design of Mani Kambo's block printed wallpaper comes from her research into the global exchange of ideas and styles across Harewood's collections and interiors...

Mani Kambo - Layered Legacies
Hand block printed wallpaper
Theme: New Narratives

Britto Arts Trust's large Rasad (meaning: ration) installation reimagines a small town Bangladeshi street market and includes handcrafted objects that point to colonialism, economic extraction and exploitation...

Britto Arts Trust - Rasad (detail)
Ceramics, textiles & metal produced collaboratively in workshops in Dhaka
Themes: New Narratives, The Use of the Land & Nourish

BEIT Collective collaborated with Lebanese designer Hamza Mekdad and craftspeople based in Lebanon to create items that reflect everyday culinary and domestic rituals. The use of the Corinthian capital (top part of classical columns) is a common decorative element in Lebanese vessels..

BEIT Collective - The Essence of Home
Crafted homeware objects exploring the importance of the classical Corinthian order in Lebanese domestic life
Themes: New Narratives & Nourish

There is of course lots more to the exhibition and apart from that there is Harewood House itself which has marvellous ceilings...

Decorative Ceiling - Harewood House

and amazing grounds...

Walled Garden _ Harewood

View of the Lake - Harewood

There's plenty of parking at Harewood and lots of grounds (+ playground) to wander through, the house to visit, refreshments in the cafes and, of course, a shop. Art Fund members get a 50% discount on ticket prices.

Sunday 29 September 2024

Revive Your Wardrobe

Wearing a dress dyed navy & stitched

(Dyed with Dylon Machine Dye)

We all have clothes in our wardrobe that we quite like but somehow they don't get the wear they deserve or we might be trying out Second Hand September, promoted by Oxfam, in a bid to take a more sustainable approach to our wardrobe. By buying second hand, we can take a stand against fast fashion and reduce our carbon footprint. And if you have bought something second hand from a charity shop or one of the increasing number of online resale sites (e.g. Vinted, eBay, Thrift+) it may turn out to be not quite what you'd hoped for. So, do you donate the currently unsuccessful garment to your favourite charity shop, or sell it again on a resale site?

Perhaps try a different approach...

Dress stitched to cover marks

Dress & stitching then dyed navy

If you don't like the colour but the item is otherwise great - think about dyeing it. There are a number of important things to bear in mind here. Firstly, think of colour mixing rules. If the garment is red and you dye it blue it will end up purple. If it's yellow to start with, it will turn a shade of green and so on. If the fabric is patterned you will probably still be able to see the pattern after you dye the garment...

Check pattern is still visible when overdyed with navy

If it has top stitching, this may not dye as the thread is often synthetic. Will the colour you are dyeing the garment look good if the topstitching stays the undyed colour? Also, it is quite hard to get a true black. Garments dyed black will often come out a dark grey. Will you mind?

And very importantly, are you using the right dye? Cotton, linen and viscose turn out very well when dyed in the washing machine with Dylon machine dyes and you don't need to add anything else. It won't cover bleach, and stains and faded areas may still remain. You can dye the above fabrics and silk, ramie, wool and cashmere using RIT All-Purpose dye which is an alternative dye product. If you are dyeing synthetic garments you would need Rit DyeMore for Synthetic Fibres. Dyeing a garment, or even better several at a time, has a number of more sustainable advantages over buying new ones through waste reduction, increasing garment longevity and reduced environmental impact and water use.

Two tops dyed black (dark grey result) & shortened

I have used Dylon in the machine many times very successfully. Usually I save up a few things that I want a particular colour so that I get the best use out of a dye pod. I have dyed trousers, tops and dresses which I have gone on to wear much more than if I'd left them the colour they were. You can use RIT in the machine too but it's more of a palaver than Dylon. I have used RIT very successfully in a tub to dye wool and cashmere and been pleased with the outcome.

Cashmere cardi dyed from bright orange to khaki using RIT All Purpose Dye

It may not be the colour of a garment that's the problem, it may be something to do with the fit. I often find things are too long as I'm quite short and have successfully shortened several tops and trousers so they are a length I am more comfortable with. I have even done this with jumpers where I have cut off the bottom, picked up the stitches and knitted a new edging at a better length. This is more complicated than just stitching something up but if you are a knitter or know one who could help, this might be an option for you...

Jumper - Bottom and sleeves cut off & re-knitted to be shorter

Maybe it's something cosmetic about a garment. Perhaps you just don't like the buttons. These can easily be changed. In fact you might already have some suitable buttons in your button tin, or might find some in your local charity shop or haberdashers.

Shirt dyed from cream to black (dark grey result) with Dylon. Original plastic buttons replaced by mother of pearl buttons from my stash

Finally it might be that a mend that is needed. Your garments might have a hole or be wearing thin. This too can be easily remedied with a patch, a darn or some reinforcing stitching. Or perhaps you need to cover up a stain, or some marks which you could again do with some decorative stitching or add some patches. You might want to consider whether you want to go down the route of visible mending or the more traditional route.

Stitching on trousers backed on the inside with fabric where trouser fabric is wearing thin

Apron with patches & stitching, Boro style, to cover a stitched design I didn't like

If things are a little big you might be able to take them in or use one of the alteration services that many towns and cities have.

I often combine several of these techniques and you could too and give your wardrobe a whole new lease of life without having to buy anything new!

And if you want to read about one of my visible mending projects, click here.

Sunday 22 September 2024

Igshaan Adams - Weerhoud at The Hepworth, Wakefield

Igshaan Adams - Weerhoud

Igshaan Adams' exhibition, Weerhoud, is currently on at The Hepworth, Wakefield. Adams is from South Africa and Weerhoud means "Witheld" in Africaans. We are told that Weerhoud "examines the impact of lived experiences and traumas on the human psyche, with a particular emphasis on the healing potential of movement". This work is full of light and texture, and the cloud-like structures are ethereal.

Igshaan Adams - Bent

Igshaan Adams - Bent (detail)

Adams was born in 1982 in a suburb of Cape Town and his work is influenced by his experience as a mixed race, queer man who grew up under apartheid in South Africa.

Igshaan Adams - Empty

I first came across Igshaan Adams at Unravel - The Power & Politics of Textiles in Art at Barbican, London where he had wall based pieces and also some of his suspended cloud installations. Here, at Wakefield, he's exhibiting his largest cloud installation to date and two new tapestries, made especially for this exhibition, together with other existing work.

Igshaan Adams - Jaime-Lee, Byron, Dustin, Faroll, Lynette

The above tapestry was produced in collaboration with the dancers the piece is named after. The dancers are from the Garage Dance Ensemble in South Africa's Northern Cape province. They performed on a large canvas that was on top of a painted plastic sheet. As the dancers moved, paint marks were left on the canvas and Adams used these patterns, shapes, colours and forms as inspiration for the tapestry. Some parts remain unwoven. The work is adorned with beads, chains, shells, stones, ribbons and ropes...

Igshaan Adams - Jaime-Lee, Byron, Dustin, Faroll, Lynette - detail

Igshaan Adams - Oorskot (Remains/excess)

Igshaan Adams - Oorskot (Remains/excess)- detail

Adams' dust clouds are created from wire, beads and found objects. He describes them as "entangled messes" and wants it to be possible for the viewer to be totally immersed in the cloud installation, to study the detail but also to see the entirety...

Igshaan Adams - Dust cloud detail

We are told that in Adams work "dust symbolises the remnants of past experiences and the traces they leave on our identities," and that "dust serves as a reminder of presence, a human trace that encapsulates the memory of a particular time and place."