This week I’ve concentrated most of my efforts on the tree. It seems to have passed that critical point when you find that something makes a bit more sense and you actually want to see where it’s taking you.
Of course the open weave hessian (burlap), makes for an interesting stitching experience, but I’ve decided to let it teach me, rather than impose my stitching style onto it. It isn’t all plain sailing – we’ve had our moments of disagreement, and I half expect more to come, but above all, I am learning.
Look away now if you’re of a nervous disposition – the picture below shows just how random the stitches are…even I have had to buy myself a big piece of 14 count mono, just to reassure myself that I have somewhere to go back to if it all goes pear-shaped.
tree trunk detail
But do you know what? I’m actually pretty happy seeing where we’re going with this – at least I am for the moment – next week, who could say.
top of the tree detail
I did a kind of running stitch tramming for the background colour, so that I’d have some texture to work into, and so that I could see what an overall colour would do to the composition. My idea is to stitch over the background to give it more depth and stability. We might fall out about that.
But all in all, it’s beginning to have that certain weight in the hand. It definitely feels more like a tapestry than an off-cut of hessian now and who knows, it might work out OK.
I could hardly believe my ears this morning, listening to Radio 4. There was a piece about a new tapestry, to rival the Bayeux in length – describing the history of Scotland.
Alexander McCall Smith signing books in Helsinki April 2007 (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
Apparently, it is the brainchild of the author Alexander McCall Smith – he who gave us the Number One Ladies’ Detective Agency – and who must be one of the most engaging Scots alive today, together with the artist Andrew Crummy (what a splendid name for any artist), and history writer Alistair Moffat.
The work will comprise over 100 panels, each being worked by volunteer stitchers from around Scotland. It is to go on display in August 2013.
I had a quick trawl around Google this morning, looking for pictures or more information, but so far, nothing substantial – just the link at the bottom of this post – perhaps we’ll see more later today, since at last, needlework has hit the major news programme of the day!
So a huge thumbs up to McCall Smith for having the vision and will to put this project into action – and I really look forward to seeing what the finished piece looks like. What a wonderful legacy for future generations of proud Scots.
Glad to see that someone still appreciates the value and the art of tapestry.
While I was away in Prague, the stained glass windows in St Vitus’s Cathedral made a huge impact on me. I’ve always loved stained glass, but something about the colours and the sheer amount of glass in that building, touched me somewhere – the greens and blues were especially wonderful. Do you ever get the feeling that you are bathing in the coloured light?
Then, when I got home, the latest issue of Cloth, Paper, Scissors, was waiting for me. In it, was an article about the artist Kirsty Quinn and some small pictures of her work.
Again, something about the use of colour and texture touched a spot in me.
I found myself wanting to try to do something with these inspirations. So, I’ve been having a little play.
I found some air-dry clay in the cupboard, rolled it out and then spent a happy hour embossing shapes and lines into it. Of course, it would hardly be me if a tree hadn’t planted itself in there too.
detail - tree
Today, with the clay being nice and hard, I’ve carried on playing, by painting it with a combination of acrylic inks and paints – most with metallic finishes – I’m a sucker for shiny things.
And I finished it off with some rub-on metallic wax. I really enjoyed doing it. Back to the stitching now.
How do you respond to the urge to create something? Some art forms lend themselves to a potentially rapid response – drawing & painting mean that you can quickly get into your work, see your ideas in action. Other art forms take longer – music, stone-carving, writing, all these require a long creative process. I see needlepoint in this category – slow art.
But as a slow artist, my creative urges aren’t generally slow. I get impatient with the work I’m making – not generally while I’m doing it, but I often feel impatient to see it in its finished state.
I get seized with ideas for compositions, colours, inspirations – things that I’d like to create in needlepoint, but I know that it will be a long time before I can bring any of these to light in stitch and canvas.
But this week, I had a few little personal revelations.
The first was something that occurred to me while I was working on the piece I’m calling ‘shell’.
Shell, in progress
Whenever I start a piece, when there are just a few little stitches on a big piece of bare canvas, it can be difficult to ‘get into’ the flow. I feel irritable, it doesn’t draw me in to work at it. But I keep going. Then, at some point, usually about a week or so into the stitching, I suddenly ‘see’ where I’m going. The piece starts to have its own life and then, from that point, I find that I have an urgency to carry on.
I reached this point on ‘shell’ this week.
The second thing that occurred to me this week, was that stepping out of my comfort zone, isn’t a bad thing to do.
The tree piece that I started, hadn’t reached the critical point of seeing where I was going with it – I was struggling.
Tree, it looks better in my mind, where I can see the next stage
I’d had a break, but then it kept popping up in my mind. I think my subconscious mind has probably been spending time working on it for me. Anyway, I picked it up again, and now I am beginning to ‘see’ it. It won’t take tent stitch, so I’m having to explore alternative ideas. I need to lay down a structure, which I’m doing now, so that I can then come back over those areas, adding colour and texture.
In my mind now, I can see how this can be created – that’s a very big step forward for me. The piece feels so different in hand, to my usual needlepoint, but at last, I’m beginning to understand it better.
And the third thing that struck me this week, was that just because my chosen medium is a slow one, doesn’t mean that I am restricted to working in that medium. At last (please don’t laugh at the poor old girl’s naivety), I realised that when those pesky creative urges hit, there’s nothing to stop me getting the pencils or the paints out, and getting them down.
That might not seem very radical to you, but to me this was important. I do think that I’m gradually starting to understand how ideas form, how odd snippets of inspiration coalesce, and how you don’t have to be a perfect artist to use those flashes as they come.
The best thing I’ve found, is that when I do get the pens out and just get on with it, I experience a great sense of relief, and then I can pick up the stitching again, with a clearer mind.
Oh, and the very last revelation – I love Prague. (I went there last week – there’s a post on my non-stitchy website, Mostly Motley, if you’re interested. Just the most incredibly beautiful city you could imagine).
Slow progress on the canvas, but lots happening in the garden.
Spot the bee on the blossom
I don’t seem to have made much progress on the canvas this week, but I’ve been distracted. Mother Nature is performing her seasonal miracles in the garden and you’d have to be hard-hearted not to want to watch.
On March 1st, I took some pictures.
Snowdrops on St Davids Day
I’m no gardener, so everything that comes up in my little patch has well and truly got here on it’s own merits, but I’m always fascinated by the way that life springs up from the cold and dark winter soil.
Snowdrops appear every year. I’ve never planted any.
Eternally interesting ivy
Ivy winds itself around the trees and over the fences. It’s welcome in my garden, the flowing leaves take off the sharp edges of the fences. A touch of ‘The Secret Garden’.
Today, daffodils have flowered.
Spring flowers
Sunshine is pouring through the window and energy is seeping back.
Here are the stitches.
Slow progress
I’ve resorted to a frame for the time-being – just too soft to keep tight for stitching, but once it gains its own strength, I’ll take it off again.
detail
Not using my normal vivid palette on this piece – yet. It might call out for colour as it develops, but at the moment, it’s pale.
Dreaming In Stitches 