New beginnings - Welcome to 2018 - Yeehaa!!!

My view this morning - my first big frost. 
We don't get a lot of frost or snow here.
 
Happy New Year!!!  I hope you are all well and have managed to get to this point unscathed by the dreaded flu bug that has been doing the rounds. You have my sympathy if you did succumb to it's miserable advances.

After all the high winds of recent days, things are calm for a while - it is a glorious day, a good day to start getting sorted for the rest of the year.
As usual my year is basically planned already. A bit of teaching, a few shows and visits from friends are all in the diary. It is good to know that you have lots of different activities coming up throughout the year. It helps give structure to your life.

The strangest thing in my diary is having book out days for my business partner Jayne to come over to Ireland and film the videos for the online teaching. Seeing 'Jayne/filming' on a page always makes me smile - who would have thought. After all these years of talking about it - we have actually got the online teaching up and running. sonas-studio.com

I am getting ready for the 12th of January when my first students arrive for my first Look. Draw. Stitch. weekend here in Ireland. I am really looking forward to this. A relaxing weekend of drawing, making printing blocks, printing fabric then layering fabrics for reverse applique and stitch.
There is so much to inspire around where I live, textures, colours and patterns.

A beautifully soft colour palette. 
It is a lichen grows so long it waves at you as you drive by!

The walk around the lighthouse can be blowy but invigorating.

The sun coming up over Kilbaha bay.

The wonderful delicate patterns of the reeds.

Amazing strata at the Bridges of Ross.

The last 'Bridge' at the Bridges of Ross.
My house is on the hill across the water.

Depending on the weather we will go out and draw shapes and lines. If it is lashing with rain I have plenty of artefacts around the house to draw.
Once we have the drawings we can take sections and then make our printing blocks. We can then print up various fabrics and get down to the reverse applique and stitch. There is no strict plan, we will see what happens.

Here a few of my favourite blocks.


From this quick original drawing I made a few printing blocks.

Positive and negative foam printing blocks and a string block for definition.

 A first print on viscose satin, my favourite fabric.

The next 2 images show the layered prints that have been cut back and stitched into.

A layered combination of shiny viscose satin and matt cotton organdie.

This print was featured in Anne Kelly's book Textile Nature.

Here a few more foam blocks - they last a long time of you clean them with baby wipes and don't run them under the tap.

From 1 tracing you will get 2 blocks, 1 positive design, 1 negative.

 . . and of course you get fabulous bay wipes that you can cut and stitch into when they are dry - fabulous.

If you are interested in coming to work with me at home in Ireland - there is more information here and the dates. They are one off weekends - not a course.

*

The students who have enrolled on Experimental Textiles Online are gathering their supplies and materials for the first weekend of the course which is 27th/28th January. 6 weekends over 6 months. Then another 6 months working with me (vis Skype) to develop a piece/body of work. If you are interested there is still time to enrol. Have a look here. Here is a video and information about the course. sonas-studio.com/html/experimental_textiles

I am so excited about this course. Whhooo hoo!!!!

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This is a photo of me and my sis on Christmas morning with the traditional Vodka snowballs before we cook the lunch!!!. I love the bones of her. She is the best thing in my life. Family is so important.

Kim and Lynda.

I will be back tomorrow with exciting news about January 2019.

x x x 

Hello Jill - hopefully only 24 sleeps to go.
Hello Diana - I hope you are both warm and toasty.
Dear Tod - thinking of you and sending love, see you soon.

X

Comments

  1. Very positive thoughts here and lots to look forward to. Big hugs xxx

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you my lovely, hanging on in there. x x x

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