5 in 5 - April 2019 - Dangerous Pockets

Welcome to '5 in 5' where on the 5th of 

each month I post 5 photos that I have 
taken in 5 minutes.

Recently a friend, Paula MacGregor, organised a collaborative project, in response to a poem written by Sharon Owers:

Someone clever once said
Women were not allowed pockets
In case they carried leaflets
To spread sedition
Which means unrest
To you & me
A grandiose word
For commonsense
Fairness
Kindness
Equality
So ladies, start sewing
Dangerous coats
Made of pockets & sedition

She called the project "Dangerous Pockets' and it held it's first exhibition in Colchester, at a Woman's Festival called Snapping the Stiletto. This was a remarkable day, and more about that another time. Because today I want to share the pockets that I made for this project.  Before I start, here is Paula at the festival, with the wonderful display of pockets. 

And here are my pockets  Each tells a story, and the first, my love of the coast. I used a bought fabric for the actual pocket, I knew I would find a good use for this print one day!  

Inside is a poem stamped onto a strip of the same fabric, and a  mussel shell sewn on. It tucks neatly inside the pocket, a surprise to unfold and reveal. 

And I added other textures. Felted 'pebbles' and one of my collection of shells with a hole, bought back from the Isle of Bute.

The second pocket tells a story about my Nan. She was a big part of my life and she was always busy with her hands, knitting or sewing.  I used a piece of vintage cloth for the pocket, and printed text and a photo onto cotton, to stitch on. My printer doesn't like me using fabric but perseverance gave me the result I wanted.  

Inside is a vintage pattern, a box of matches, and piece of knitting. The knitting was changed afterwards for a neutral colour as I felt it more fitting. 

I loved seeing all the different pockets and ideas and I continue to make more pockets as Paula grows the collection.  The project will be on tour throughout the year and if you would like to take part of find out more this is the link.  

As always, I invite you to join in this 5in5 monthly challenge and I hope some of you will do that. Trying a new way of doing things can spark new ideas and add interest, so here's how it works: 

1.  Choose a location.

2.  Have your camera ready.

3.  Set a mobile timer for 5 minutes.

4.  Take as many photos you can until the time is up.

5.  Choose 5 photos to download and share by using the link tool 

   

You have until the 25th of the month to add your photos and if you want to know more about 5in5 there are details here.

And one more thing - when you use the link tool, please click on your post title.  This will show the web address. Please right click, copy and paste this as your link.  This will take readers directly to your '5 in 5' blog page and be easier for them to find.

5 in 5 - August 2016 - A Sadness of Sewing Machines

Welcome to '5 in 5' where on the 5th of

each month I post 5 photos that I have

taken in 5 minutes.

Sometimes I plan my monthly photos in advance, other times I happen upon an idea unexpectedly. I like when this happens because there is a thrill with spontaneity, but this time there was also a sunken heart as it was a sad sight I came across.  A graveyard of sewing machines.  I kid you not.  One piled against the antique shop wall, and others into a crate.   

But even in this sad state I saw beauty.  The classic black bodywork with painted decoration that softens the metal and makes each machine individual. And the intricate workings that would have once beat a rhythm as the needle cast its thread.

Who would have sewn on these machines?

Was it used for pleasure, to make something that would be loved?

Or would it be a means to providing an income or essentials? 

Lots of questions passed by as I stood looking at these discarded piles.  Some had labels, no doubt from when they were in better condition and possible to sell and restore. Now? I only see sculpture, or rust to take prints with.  Or maybe a poem or story in the making.  It did spark another idea, and if anything comes from that I will let you know.

How about you? Do you like to plan photos or act on spontaneity? 

                      _________________________

It is always fun to have company in this photo challenge so a big thank you to Mary-Lou, Borqna, Maggie, Joy, Melanie, Gill, Karen and Eileen for taking part last month.

And YOU would be very welcome to join in too, so if you feel inspired here is what you do:

1.  Choose a location.
2.  Have your camera ready.
3.  Set a timer for 5 minutes (I use my mobile phone).
4.  Take as many photos you can until the time is up.
5.  Choose 5 photos to download and share by using the link tool below.  
   Please note:

You have until the 25th of the month to add your photos to the link and you can take  your photos any time. They do not have to be taken or posted on 5th!

If you would like more information please go to the original post here where you will find more.

ALICE FOX - LOST AND FOUND WORKSHOP - ONE

Last week I spent 4 wonderful days at ArtVanGo in Hertfordshire.  I was booked on Alice Fox's Summer School called LOST AND FOUND and people had travelled from Yorkshire and other distant places to attend.  Not only was the workshop full but there were as many people on the reserve list so I considered myself very fortunate to be there.  Not only that, but others paid to stay in local hotels and accommodation. Me?  I stayed free of charge in a pub car park. That's the joy of having a campervan and being sufficient!

But enough of that. Let's talk about the Summer School.  My heart still flutters even when I think of it!  I had SO looked forward to this! Kev and Viv are owners of ArtVanGo who were welcoming and I felt very looked after throughout my stay.  I was also among a lovely bunch of fellow students and in response to a photo I shared on Facebook a friend in Amsterdam commented that she knew someone else booked on this course.  It turns out this mutual friend was sitting right opposite me and that we had struck up a friendship. This creative world gets more connected and smaller all the time!

But I digress again.  See, I told you my heart was a flutter! I am
so full of ideas and memories that it is hard to settle.  But I will try. Here goes!!

The workshop was about creating prints and designs using found materials - rust, plants, string and such like. You get the idea. We started straight away, and I couldn't believe that by lunch time on our first day we had already been so productive!  Alice is a brilliant tutor, very relaxed and informative, there when you need her and giving encouragement and opportunity to develop your own ideas. She had provided a wonderful supply of fabric and card/paper to experiment with, and also an extensive collection of materials to use.  I shared just a few of these on my previous post.

I have learnt to make my own journal/notebook when I go on workshops as I had a habit of loosing my notes and sample pieces. So now I collect these together and I will write another post explaining more how I do this. Meantime you can see my first signature bottom right.

We started by making prints with rust on card and after watching Alice demonstrate we lost no time in choosing from our stack of materials. I chose a sheet of thick cartridge paper and painted it with green tea. There were other mordents available, so lots of opportunity to experiment. Luckily no one drunk the red wine and we discovered this made a beautiful pink dye!

 

 

After painting my page I added wire wool and another layer of green tea to make it hold fast to the paper.  It is important to achieve as much contact as possible.

 

After, Alice showed us how to use fabrics.  This time we wrapped around rusty mails.

I decided to use a random effect for my second bundle. After
wrapping we left the bundle in mordant to soak for a short time so that it was evenly saturated.


We put our work outside and learnt to be patient.  The wire wool started to show  a reaction very quickly which was exciting,  but we wouldn't know what the wrapped items would look like until they were untied.  This is a very unpredictable process, full of surprise.  And we had to wait several days to get the best effect!   
And when my bundles were unwrapped this is what I found. A wonderful pattern of different colour marks.  

Here you can see a third piece of fabric where I laid other rusty objects onto the surface, rather than wrapping.  This creates a very different effect.

And remember I started by putting wire wool onto a sheet of card? This is the result. Isn't it fabulous?! 

 

Now I know some people will shake their head in wonder.  My friend Jill is a fine example and I know she won't mind me saying! But if like me you like using materials to create something unique and unpredictable then these are great techniques. I love this organic look and having the opportunity to create something beautiful from something that was found or thrown away. Luckily four days allowed us to come home with some finished projects, some work in progress  and a large selection of printed fabric and papers, ready to use.

Alice had so many examples and ideas to share and we were extra lucky as an exhibition of her work was displayed in ArtVanGo at the time of our visit.  So to end, I will show you a quick selection.  Thank you Alice for giving permission to share these photos and more examples and techniques are in Alice's wonderful book called Natural Processes in Textural Art.

 

 



And to see more examples of my own work, come back soon.  I am planning another post or two!