"Away, Away" - Julie Arkell at the Harley Gallery

Tiny Pond - Julie Arkell

    
Julie Arkell currently has an exhibition at the Harley Gallery.  This is a rare treat so if you can get to see it, don't hesitate! Julie is a textile and mixed media artist who creates whimsical folk art inspired scenes.  Her creations are made from papier-mâché and have knitted and handstitched garments or features and are embellished with handstitched phrases.

Comfort List - Julie Arkell

Away - Julie Arkell

Ponds - Julie Arkell

The Pond Looks Deep - Julie Arkell

"Away, Away" has grown from her exhibition "Away" which was shown at the Ruthin Craft Centre in 2014 for which Julie made 100 creatures.  Julie says that since then her collection of nature books has grown, mentioning "Pond Life", "British Birds' Eggs and Nests" & "Woodland Trees".   You can see the influences of these in her work - some of her characters now have their own ponds and fantastically some of the trees and characters have knitted shadows and there is even a knitted strip of land.  There are birds' eggs, books and twigs - all sorts of "collections"

What's hidden behind... - Julie Arkell

Trees - Julie Arkell

A strip of land - Julie Arkell

A Shadow for Myself - Julie Arkell

On Fragile Ground - Julie Arkell

Large Knitted Crow Shadows - Julie Arkell

The shapes of the large knitted crow shadows were made from tracings of actual shadows from some of Julie's crow figures.

Birds' Eggs Illustration - Julie Arkell

Twigs & Books - Julie Arkell

Matchbox collections - Julie Arkell

The bird that refused to fly - Julie Arkell

It is impossible to not be fascinated by her vignettes and to wonder about their stories.

Owls - Julie Arkell

Long live the glorious crow - Julie Arkell

Saints - Julie Arkell

Becoming Jane Eyre - Julie Arkell

I wish I'd been kinder - Julie Arkell

Houses have secrets - Julie Arkell

Julie's brooches displayed in Hotel D'Angleterre

The Harley Gallery is situated on the Welbeck Estate in Nottinghamshire.  There is ample car parking and a cafe close by. 

Note: It is also handy for Hope & Elvis, where Louise Presley curates a fantastic range ot textile and mixed media workshops, run by leading artists and makers.

This exhibition is on until 8 January 2017.  Go see!

Tom of Holland at Hope & Elvis

  
It's always a joy to go to Hope & Elvis.  Before your workshop begins there are so many interesting things to look at...

Beautiful boats

Captivating cardi

...and then you get to learn something new.  This workshop was taken by Tom of Holland, (though currently living in Brighton), who is a staunch advocate of visible mending.  Tom provides mending inspiration and skills to help curb the trend towards throwaway fashion.  Tom wants you to keep your favourite garment and enhance it with visible mends, wearing them like a "badge of honour".
 

Tom of Holland

Our workshop concentrated on repairing woven materials but the day before they were working on woollen items. It was great to see some of those examples too...

These would brighten up a boring jumper

Repairing all those holes has added a new dimension to this jumper

Moving onto the woven fabrics, Tom had some beautifully repaired tea towels...

Beautifully patched tea towels

There were some interesting books and equipment to browse through too...

Weevezy

Lots of "Make do & Mend" ideas

Advice from the 1950s - I've often found I'm fearful of that visitor that might find me not neatly put together!

And then we were ready to go...

I choose to do my stitching in orange so it was easy to see the good & the bad!

Tips for neatness when oversewing - fold those edges together

So what did we attempt?  Napery hem, fell stitch or running hem, slip stitch, herringbone, flannel patch, a hemmed patch & a hand stitched buttonhole

Finished samples, stitching in orange, basting in pink

I rather like the coloured stitching - even the basting, which I haven't taken out so I know where it goes for future reference!

I was happy with my first attempts though I shall need to practise those buttonholes!  Thanks, Tom!

David Shrigley's Really Good

Really Good - David Shrigley

On a trip to the Big City (London) recently, I popped along to Trafalgar Square to have a look at the Fourth Plinth's latest offering.  I found David Shrigley's "Really Good".  This is a seven metre high bronze thumbs up, weighing 4.5 tonnes, with a dark patina like the other statues in the Square

Really Good - David Shrigley + Pigeon

It's the 11th commission in the Fourth Plinth programme, unveiled on 29 September 2016.  David Shrigley (b. 1968) currently lives in Brighton and much of his work is satirical reflecting on the absurdity of society.

Really Good - David Shrigley

The thumb is abnormally long and the whole thing is meant to be an antedote to all the current gloom and doom (economy, weather, society) and encourage us to be more positive.  We could all do with that!

Haberdashery in Paris

I've just got back from a few days in Paris.  As it wasn't my first trip there, I thought I'd do something a bit different and decided on a haberdashery tour.  I started with Sajou, 47 Rue Du Caire, which those of you who have discovered sources in England (e.g. Beyond Measure) will know, has lots of rather gorgeous things...

Large colourful threads

Colourful buttons

Small colourful threads

Wool threads

In fact you can even buy a mini Sajou if you have a doll's shop you are fitting out...
 

Mini Sajou shop

And of course I couldn't resist a little something...

 
From there I went to Ultramod,  a rather lovely experience at 4, Rue de Choiseul...

 

Ribbons

Boxes

Vintage haberdashery

...and more...

I was very restrained there and just bought a single button - but it was double sided...

Double sided button from Ultramod

After that I sought out the Emmaus charity shop, as I really can't go anywhere without seeing what the charity shops are like.  This one was at 104 Cents Quatre, a cultural centre, at 104 Rue d'Aubervilliers, which I might tell you about another time.  I did get a few select items...

Yarn, embroidery thread and a pillowcase

Another haberdashery I found by chance - Bonheur des Dames, 17 Avenue Daumesnil...

and it seemed like a good idea to go fluoro...

Thread & ribbon in fluorescent colours

And of course you can't go to Paris and not visit a fleamarket.  I chose the Marché aux Puces de la Porte de Vanves  - not too big or too expensive, easy to get to and interesting...

 and I managed to come away with only these...

which I thought was very restrained!  I couldn't resist the tin even though it was in English. I mean, who wouldn't want a tin that held "The Original Celebrated Curiously Strong Peppermint Lozenges!"

It was a lovely trip and I might share more of it with you another time.  Meanwhile I have to think what I'm going to do with my exciting purchases!

Ai Weiwei at Downing College, Cambridge

Ai Weiwei - Tree outside the Heong Gallery

  
Ai Weiwei's "Cubes & Trees" were at Downing College in Cambridge recently.  If you didn't get to see them here's a taster...

Ai Weiwei's Cubes in the Heong Gallery

Each cube is a metre square and they are made up of Crystal Cube 2014 (Cystal), Ton of Tea 2008 (compressed Pu'er tea), Cube in Ebony 2009 (Zitan wood) & Treasure Box 2014 (Huali wood).

Ai Weiwei - Ton of Tea (detail)

Ai Weiwei - Treasure Box (detail)

The cubes show Ai Weiwei's preference for simple forms and at the same time his repect for the properties of different materials and traditional craftsmanship.

Ai Weiwei - Trees outside Downing College Chapel

Ai Weiwei's dramatic trees are sculpted from parts of different types of dead trees, some hundreds of years old.  The nuts and bolts used to hold them together are visible, emphasising that they are constructed.  They are tree-like yet rather strange.

Ai Weiwei is an outspoken Chinese artist who has been critical of the Chinese Government particularly on issues relating to the 2008 Sichuan Earthquake.  Here schools collapsed as a result of the use of substandard building materials and little effort was made to determine how many students were killed.  Ai Weiwei and his team compliled a list of more than 5000 names and his related artwork was included in the RA Exhibition in 2015.  His criticism of the Government resulted in the confiscation of his passport between April 2011 and July 2015.  He is currently working in Berlin and Lesbos where his work has focussed on the plight of refugees.

Flowerpower Yarnbomb Blooms in Cambridge

Flowerpower Yarnbomb, Jesus Green Tennis Courts, Cambridge

Recently on a trip to Cambridge, I came across this wonderful yarnbomb on Jesus Green.  Those of you who follow my blog will know that I love a good yarnstorm and this was very inspiring.  It was designed and organised by Clare Collier, yarnbomber, and Sarah Clark from The Sheep Shop, Cambridge with pattern assistance from Liz Marley and Just Add Crochet and made by members of the local community and those further afield.

Knitted and crocheted Rhapsody clematis flowers and leaves

You will see a thousand knitted and crocheted Rhapsody clematis flowers and leaves extend across 9 metres of the Jesus Green tennis courts' fence.  Most of the flowers are purple, but 1 in 5 are blue.  This is to highlight the fact that 1 in 5 women will suffer sexual abuse or rape during their lifetime.  It also promotes the work of the Cambridge Rape Crisis Centre, a specialist sexual violence charity who provide support to survivors of sexual violence in Cambridgeshire.

Most flowers are purple but 1:5 are blue

The use of flowers was inspired by Naomi Lawrence, a former Cambridge yarnbomber and street artist now living across the pond in New York, who uses flowers in her work.

The display will be up till the end of October after which the flowers will be taken down, made into brooches and sold to fundraise for the Cambridge Rape Crisis Centre or you can donate now, here.

At least for a time you can listen to Leigh Chambers from Cambridge 105 Drive radio interview Sarah Clark and Clare Collier here.  Although a difficult & distressing subject, this is a great way to raise awareness, involve the community, fundraise and to let survivors know they are not alone.  Do go see it if you're in Cambridge.