Daniel Mar

I came across the work today of French paper artist, Daniel Mar. The intricate cutting , turning some of the images into 3D, reminds me somewhat of the work of Peter Callesen. I think these are simply wonderful. If you want to see more have a look here.

Papierkrieg

This is a great origami animation film. I don't understand the language but that really doesn't matter. As ever, I am just in awe of what some artists can do with paper.

Papierkrieg from Makaio Tisu on Vimeo.

Time Out

To everything there is a season,

and a time to every purpose under heaven;

A time to weep, and a time to laugh;

a time to mourn and a time to dance.

I need to take some time out so please forgive me if I do not post for a short while.

Let's hear it for the Shrill Carder Bee

The UK used to have 27 species of bumblebee but three are now extinct and six others are seriously under threat. The Shrill Carder Bee (Bombus sylvarum) is the next specimen of bumblebee likely to become extinct. It gets its name from its reputation for having a particularly high-pitched buzz. It is clinging on in a few areas but needs help and this has come along in the form of the 'Live for the Outdoors' website which has just announced the results of an online poll it has recently run for the most worthy eco-project of 2010. From a drawn up list of 6 excellent plans, the project with the most votes has won funding of 30,000 Euros from the EOG Association for Conservation.

It has just been announced that it has been won by the Bumblebee Conservation Trust Pembrokeshire Path project and I am so thrilled that it has done so. Pippa Rayner, the conservation officer explains what they will be doing :

" We will be creating a wildflower-rich habitat to support rare bumblebees along a new 10km path in the Pembrokeshire National Park. By connecting key sites, this attractive route through spectacular scenery will help prevent the national extinction of the shrill carder bee.

The project will benefit lots of other wildlife too; Wales, like the rest of the UK, has lost most of its wild flower grasslands, so creating and restoring these habitats will benefit the plants, butterflies, bees, birds and other beasties that depend upon them.

It will also create a lovely place to walk, with flowers and bumblebees along the path that takes walkers, horseriders and cyclists through areas that were previously inaccessible, thanks to the new route provided by the MOD"

The project won by a significant margin I think and whilst my vote didn't sway it one way or another, at least it counted. I shall be following this one with great interest and really hope it will be a success and halt the decline of another of these important pollinators.

If you want to find out more have a look at the website for the Bumblebee Conservation Trust.

(Images from Google images)

Start the week on a high note...

powerlinerflyers from wes johnson on Vimeo.

The Cheshire Cat

Alice's Adventures in Wonderland first appeared in 1865, with John Tenniel's engravings accompanying Lewis Carroll's timeless story. In 1907 the copyright for Alice expired and there was a rush of illustrated editions to challenge Tenniel's version. The most successful version was illustrated by Arthur Rackham ; in the first six months after its publication 14,322 copies of the six shilling edition were sold. Forty years later, in 1947, his Alice was on its 12th edition and has stayed in print ever since. It is a story which never fails to capture the imagination and I have a habit of buying any new version or old or foreign copy that I find. Not surprisingly then I will definitely be going to see Tim Burton's version of Alice when it opens next month. Alongside Johnny Depp as the Mad Hatter will be the voices of Paul Whitehouse, Michael Sheen, Barbara Windsor and Stephen Fry as the Cheshire Cat.

For all those cat loving paper engineers out there visit the Alice 2010 blog and scroll down to the post for Friday Feb 5th to download the PDF to make your own Cheshire Cat (Sorry about the long winded way of doing this but if you like Alice the rest is interesting too!)

Timeless magic

I had to pop in to Tenby this afternoon and thought I'd go via Manorbier, a village with a super beach, it's own castle and a wonderful 12th century Norman church dominating it from above. My friend lives here so I am a frequent visitor. There is something about St James' Church that I find very restoring and it is often empty, so, perfect for contemplation and to me, also a rich source of creative inspiration. These photos detail part of the painting that is in the roof above the main doorway. I have enhanced them as it is pretty faded in parts . I love the shapes and colours.

I can spend ages wandering around the churchyard. I am entranced by the imagery on the railings and headstones and drawn to the organic shapes of the mosses and lichens that have been there longer than I've been in existence. Like many small village churchyards, it is a special place. I am fascinated by the headstones and love looking at the names and dates inscribed on them. In truth, it is not only churchyards that interest ; I find cemeteries and war memorials equally wondrous things to look at.

I finished with a walk down to the beach and along the strand line. This is a surfers beach in summer and it can be packed with families. Today it was chilly and cold so there was only me. Magical day.

Bird Song?

The end of the month sees the start of an installation at the Barbican by French artist Celeste Boursier-Mougenot. It takes the form of a walk-through aviary for a flock of zebra finches, furnished with electric guitars and other objects. As the birds go about their daily rituals they create a unique soundscape.....

(Found via the BBC)

Not so much a shed...

It has been a glorious day and I decided to get on with my shed tidy up. I mentioned it the other day and my friend said 'shed' was a misnomer and I ought to clarify where I spend some of my time. So, I thought I'd take a few quick photos. In truth, it's more a workshop than a shed as it is not small. The people we bought the house from used to run a small naturist camp and rent the shed out to people to stay in. Of course then it was called 'the chalet' and I have called it that for years .... but it is really where I escape hoping for inspiration to strike!

This is my favourite corner with my etching press. I don't use it anywhere near as much as I should. I need to get up there this year and work through my print ideas. Trouble is ,I am not a great believer in my own ability but I need to overcome that and get on with things this summer.

First up though I need to finish the tidy up. There are things everywhere as you can see. I'll be finished tomorrow. There will then be no excuse and I hope to take advantage of the better weather to get on with something creative.

Paper Infinity Card

I had a phone call yesterday asking if I would run some workshops this summer for a children's book group, either designing and producing their own stories in book form or doing something creative with paper.

This might be an idea to use. I found it last week on Marilyn's website which is a great resource if you want ideas for things to make with children. I've made a couple so far and it is so simple yet so addictive once they're finished. You just can't help turning them over and over looking at the patterns they create. I'm experimenting placing words on the cards to see where they fall and altering the shape of the basic card too.

For personal speed I did not download the PDF from the website. From one A4 sheet of thin card I cut 4 X 4 inch by 2 inch strips and scored a line 1 inch from each end. Prior to cutting the sheet of card I put both sides of the card through my printer to make sure I had a pattern on each side but children could draw on both sides of the paper and then cut it up perhaps? I hasten to add that this is not just an idea for children. It is fascinating for paper engineers of all ages!

Wellcome Images

If you have never looked through the image site of the Wellcome Foundation you have missed a rare treat. Under a Creative Commons Agreement in 2007 the thousands of scientific images they hold became freely available for educational, personal and not for profit use, as long as the source is acknowledged. For anyone interested in social as well as scientific history it is an image library packed with gems. It records the commonplace and the unusual such as photos of bearded ladies and Tyrolean giantesses of the 1930's. Every time I search it it's for something different. This is the first time I've looked at it since we've had bees so I had to search there and I found this great advertisement for honey throat lozenges. I love the fact that they are bee shaped! Imagine....

My interests fall into two clear areas. I look for interesting images that might spark my curiosity, tell me about something or someone I have never heard of before or provide some background for a collage and book idea. Primarily though, I look at advertisements and photos of a time just outside my own memory. It just happpens to be a period I find fascinating such as this wartime poster looking for nursing staff. I can just about remember when nurses - or usually 'Sister' - wore those starchy caps...

... and I couldn't resist posting this... these ladies are exercising in an ante-natal class in 1955. Now I can admire their foundatiion garments given their personal circumstances but can anyone enlighten me as to why they're wearing those masks? Perhaps they didn't want to be recognised...

If you have an inclination to the curious and interesting take a look here. You will be well rewarded.

Tying up loose ends

This was the largish piece of handmade felt I found yesterday. It is quite thick as I made it thinking I might use it for a carpet bag. It has a white base layer with two or three different coloured purple layers topped off with some white mohair from a ball of stuff I picked up in a bargain basket somewhere. Anyway, I just couldn't wait could I, so I chopped it up this morning and stitched together a bag that I call a 'book bag'. Can't remember where I got that name from or whether it's even correct but I just sewed up the sides, cut two holes for the handles, cut out a base and with a bit of ubiquitous blanket stitch, you have a bag.... trouble is, I have enough left over to make something else .....

..and I wanted to get on an finish one my little accordion books. Just a jumble of images that appealed....

..using the pages from my atlas to make the covers with pictures of the surface of the moon....

I've now tied up my 'loose ends' from yesterday but I'm steering clear of the shed for a few days. Therein lie too many ongoing diversions. My ironing beckons and I must not be diverted any longer!

Sidetracked....

A few weeks ago I was having a browse in a curtain fabric shop in Bristol. Now I know I don't need any more fabric but it never hurts to have a look.... anyway, I got chatting to the lady who owns the shop and I was telling her about the sewing I do for Combat Stress using remnants and whatever I can get hold of to make things to sell to raise money. To cut a long story short she gave me a huge bag of stuff she was trying to get the rag merchants to take without success. It was literally a real mixed bag and there was this piece of sheer, chiffon type of fabric included. I was going to throw it away but today, I was getting on with my shed spring clean and found this black hessian...

Now I bought this as many years ago when I started the rug I posted about last week (and yes, I have done some already, so I'm still going strong...) and I got to thinking about laying a sheer fabric on top of it and making a bag using the two fabrics together. I thought the bag could be unlined being hessian but I forgot the issue of fraying so had to abandon this idea and eventually put a black poly cotton lining in it. I turned the hessian over at the top to capture the chiffon and found a couple of pink strips in the bag she gave me, so, made these handles too, which I had to attach to the outside. It didn't turn out too bad and might be an idea worth revisiting with a large chiffon scarf and some natural coloured hessian maybe?

As the sewing machine was on the table I decided to finish the second bag cobbled together from the man's jacket from the charity shop. I used the two fronts, stitched the pockets together and added a long handle and the last few roses from the trim I bought. I really enjoyed trying to recycle this jacket into something else, but I'd started the day with a mission to get on with my clear out and got sidetracked on the way, so I went back to my original task....

I found a couple of collaged books I am now inspired to finish, a large piece of handmade felt that I made to produce a carpet bag with... and this little chap....

I made him a few years ago from handmade felt and I needled mohair locks from a friend's angora goats into one side to make him all fluffy. I used to use it as a sample in felt making workshops but no-one was ever inspired enough to make one of their own after realising how long it might take. I'd forgotten all about him and found him at the bottom of a crate. Of course then I got sidetracked rummaging through more old projects.... the shed is still a mess and I need more hours in the day!

Recycled Hearts and Flowers

The other week I bought a wool and alpaca men's jacket in a charity shop and posted a couple of pictures of it. I have finally stripped it down to the best pieces and made something of them. I have enough left to make another small bag and maybe some small items like needlecases and the like but the main piece from the back was used to make this bag. I used the jacket lining to fully line the inside of the bag so it has all been recycled.

I added a magnetic catch and I did buy the trim because I fell in love with it and then appliqued the heart in the middle of what my friend is calling my 'ring a ring a rosy bag'. The photo makes my sewing look more naff than it does in real life (honest). Now, of course, I shall not use the thing as it is just not my style but the urge to recycle and conjure up something new is a compulsion I cannot resist. Anyone out there want to make a style statement for Valentine's Day?

On short rations

My husband was reading a magazine tonight which had an article about sugar rationing during the war in Britain. As all beekeepers know, sugar is needed at key times of the year to make a syrup to feed the bees and keep the hive going. When sugar was rationed beekeepers were given an extra 10lbs of sugar a year but to make absolutely sure it went to the bees and not the black market it was all dyed green! Imagine that stirred into your morning cuppa.

The whole issue of rationing then reminded me of this little film I saw the other day. It has to be the last of the gems I found in the BFI archives. It caught my imagination because I would have liked to have been a child as bright as Sally but think I am a natural Jane. To this day I still cook cabbage like she does.....

Koumpounophobia

Koumpounophobia is the unlikely name of a fear of buttons, something I seem to possess the opposite of. As someone who loves rootling through the button tin and picking up old cards of them when I can find them it is hard to believe that they represent frightening, dirty and ugly things to one in 75,000 of us. It is a topic that has caught the imagination of textile artist Penny Leaver Green and whilst in Bristol yesterday I managed to vist her Button Phobia exhibition at Harvey Nichols.

Using antique linens and wonderful buttons Penny has taken comments from online forums by sufferers as well as the reactions to questions about buttons by an old school friend and translated them into these exquisite art textiles. I found the comments to each piece fascinating and it is startling to read how some people's phobia began. One man's lifetime disgust of buttons began when a tin of buttons was tipped over him accidentally in a classroom when he was very young. Things like that always make me wonder over the way a chain of events evolve over many years.

I first saw Penny's work a couple of years ago after reading about it in an article. At the time she was about to have an exhibition at the WWT in Slimbridge so we went to see it as birds and textiles together are a 'must see' for me. I loved the work, especially the way Penny writes with her sewing machine. I wish I could do that! This is a favourite image of my favourite bird and if you want to read more about Penny have a look here at her website. The button phobia pieces are on display at Harvey Nicks until 28th February.

Make Do and Mend

What goes around comes around.... isn't this the trend again?

All hooked up

I have stopped rummaging in the BFI Archives because I've been rummaging and tidying in my cupboards instead. Mainly because I've been coming across an image in the newspapers and magazines in recent weeks that kept nagging at me. It was the photo of a coir door mat by weaver Roger Oates - a red heart on a black background. Now, it reminded me of a hooked rag rug that I started - I'm ashamed to say - over 10 years ago. The frame I was hooking it on has long since collapsed and fallen apart but the hessian is still good so I hauled it out of its hiding place. Here it is on my kitchen floor and, as you can see , I have not got very far in 10 years. The brighter heart in the middle was done on Saturday when we were snowbound here in Pembrokeshire again. It took about two hours and all the itchy bits all over my lap afterwards reminded why it has taken so long to do. I was scratching for a long while... I know... too much information. Anyway, it's now languishing on the side pleading to be finished or returned to its hiding place but if I put it back I might as well throw it away because I know I'll never finish it otherwise.

My style of working is quick and dirty with very little planning and even less ability. I cannot do one job without mentally wandering off into other territory. See, once I started on the tidying up I then cleared out all the beads and stuff I have, determined to get rid of things I know I'll never use.... but I found this silver heart and a couple of beads, a bit of ribbon and a fabric scrap which sort of said 'make into a brooch' ..so I did....

It was worse when I got to my button tins. I seriously cannot tidy these up because once you start you're reminded where you got them from, who you got them from, what ideas you had for them... and then I'm off again, sewing them onto card, printing on to them, making something that I think I could develop....

....but then, at the back of the cupboard, I found these paint charts from the DIY store and I stuck a lovely thrush on top that I'd cut from a ruined book. I placed a mount around because I wondered if there was an idea for a series of cards there too. I have loads of paint charts and lots of bird pictures... does it work I wonder?

I don't know.... what I do know is that I am not doing any more tidying up or clearing out. It is not good for my brain. It hurts from too much thinking!