Kayla coo

Workshop At The Herbert

2012-01-13T19:29:00.000Z

A Winter Landscape

My Favourite Subject Talking About Threads & Art!

Engrossed in our landscapes

Last week I had my first workshop at The Herbert Art Gallery entitled Landscape In Threads.

The Herbert have fantastic facilities, the room is spacious, full of light, I would love it as a studio, it inspires you to be creative!

It was rewarding to share my interest in fine art, talking about artist's in history who used landscape to interpret the world around them and my own passion for exploring my art through textiles.

Our first day was spent looking at methods of developing our work in the sketch book, talking about how those ideas could be translated with threads and fibres, luckily I had a wonderful range from Madeira.
It didn't take long for us to start to play with the varied materials, wool, silk, rayon, combining stitching with needle felting.

The course is over two days, the next will be a week on Saturday, plenty of time for everyone to be creative in their sketchbooks!
Thank you to everyone who came, it was lovely to meet you and I look forward to seeing all your work next week.

Remarkable work on display at fabulous Herbert show - Art News - What's On from @covtelegraph

2012-01-10T23:07:00.002Z

Remarkable work on display at fabulous Herbert show - Art News - What's On from @covtelegraph

I made it into The Coventry Telegraph!

A New Year Of Stitching

2012-01-02T20:14:00.000Z

What a year of stitching I have had, it has taken over my life, yet as far back as I can remember threads have always been an obsession.
The need to be creative is always there, in part, it is the desire of trying out new threads and materials in my art work.
I can't stop at the drawing or painting there is always the need to express it with the complexities of surface texture, for the fabric to take on the energy of my landscapes.
For 2012 the plan is to continue developing the larger pieces, although they take considrable time and energy, combining them with the smaller collectable works which I will occasionaly add to etsy (some added today).
Next week I have the first of two workshops I will be running at The Herbert Art Galley and I'm hoping that I may be able to run more in the future.

I have been featured this week in the online art magazine Art Daily and my local newspaper The Kenilworth Weekly News .
I also want to thank Lorrie of Illusio Creative who has kindly included me in her blog post "I must go down to the Sea"

The combination of fine art and craft is growing across many different fields, this was apparent at The Birmingham Musesum's Exhibition "Lost In Lace".
What a fantastic, exqusite, thought provoking exhibition, do go if you can, you can view images on Birmingham Museums flickr page here including many paintings from the gallery.

Wishing you a very Happy Creative New Year!

Michala x

Christmas Threads & Wishes

2011-12-23T17:35:00.000Z

This is just a quick post to wish you a merry Christmas and to say thank you for your visits or comments on my blog.
It has been a very busy, exciting, challenging year and I have been stitching more than I have been blogging!
Next year I have workshops at The Herbert which will be exciting as I have a huge array of beautiful threads from Madeira to experiment with.
I will share my workshops here on my blog in the New Year
Enjoy your festivities.

Michala x

Painting With Threads

2011-12-14T20:17:00.000Z

One Of My Sketch Books At The Herbert Art Gallery

A few weeks ago Mary Miers the arts editor of Country Life Magazine came to visit me at home.
She was intrigued by my art work, collections of threads and the methods I use to create my landscapes.
Here is the article she wrote.

PAINTING WITH THREADS

Michala Gyetvai’s passion for threads infuses her swirling stitched and felted artworks, which can be seen at the Herbert Art Gallery in Coventry until 24 January. The vibrant pieces express her deep-rooted love of nature, the seeds of which were sown during her childhood in rural Northamptonshire, when she roamed woods and fields collecting wool and other organic fibres. These she transformed with natural dyes and wove into ‘little worlds’ on a homemade loom. Since then she has squirreled away jars and jars of fibres - twisted twines and antique silks, lustred and matt threads shimmery and sheening, crocheted cottons and metallic strands – so that her workroom resembles a Parisian brocante. With no formal training, Mrs Gyetvai developed her craft-based fine art while attending evening classes; she derives particular inspiration from the English Romantics. Working from studies in pastels, she ‘paints with the fibres’ on old dyed blankets, moving around the piece like a dancer as she lays them out and punches them in. Then she draws in the lines and builds up the texture of the composition with her threads, stitching them in by hand and machine. The whole process has an affinity with music and ballet, the results being highly rhythmic and expressive of the physical energy that goes into their making. Trees are a favourite motif, conveying the artist’s own emotions as well as the landscape around her home town of Kenilworth.

By Mary Miers

I feel very privileged to tell you that she has recommended my exhibition at The Herbert Art Gallery in Coventry as one of the best to see in December, in this weeks Country Life Magazine including a small piece about me.

"Seas Of Grass" Is Open!

2011-12-05T22:56:00.001Z

I can't believe my opening day finally arrived at The Herbert on Saturday, the date had always seemed so far away.
I had spent a very rewarding, educational week at The Herbert as they hung my exhibition, nothing could prepare me for the surreal experience for seeing my work hung collectively.
I was relieved that my largest pieces, that I had stitched onto canvas, looked as I had envisaged.
It was exciting to see how my mark making had become integral to the actual wool blanket.
Now being able to view it from a distance, I was aware of how sculptural my work had become. The more three dimensional aspect revealed patterns and shadows.
The actual opening day was all the more rewarding because I could share it with many of my friends and relatives, I will never forget this day.
I now have my own website which you can see here http://www.michalagyetvai.co.uk/ this includes lots of information about me and my art (my life history!), including all the work at my exhibition and price list. You will also find my first limited edition prints of some of the paintings. I will be making my postcards and new brooches available to buy through Etsy later this week.

Landscape Exhibitions At The Herbert Art Gallery

2011-11-19T23:16:00.000Z

This week I attended the opening of the Turner Prize nominee George Shaw's exhibition at the Herbert.
His work depicts all the places he frequented as he was growing up around the area of Tile Hill in Coventry.
This landscape is the urban sprawl of council estates, playing fields and run down pubs and garages.
Interestingly he uses humbrol enamel paints, which are the specialist paints for model making.
How he manages to use this sticky, thick, gloss paint amazes me, especially when you see the smooth surfaces he creates on canvas, which are like old Polaroid photographs.
In some ways his work reminds me of the detailed paintings of Stanley Spencer with nature trying to grow through the rubbish tips and crumbling buildings.
It's refreshing to see a talented painter up for nomination and for someone who can really draw, many of his life drawings are included in this exhibition which are excellent.
You can see him talking about his work here.
The winner of The Turner prize will be announced on December 5th, fingers crossed for George!!

I feel very privileged to be able to say that my own exhibition Seas Of Grass, will soon be on display in the next gallery!
Today I have been packaging all my work up in preparation for the galley to collect on Friday.
I have also been stitching small landscapes especially for The Herbert to sell in their shop during the exhibition, including a range of my exhibition postcards.
So if you can visit The Herbert in the next few months you will have some very varied exhibitions to see, do try and visit if you can.

Final Preparations!

2011-11-10T20:16:00.000Z

Only a few weeks until my exhibition opens and you can now find more information on The Herbert Art Gallery website here.
I will also be giving a free tour and talk about my work at the exhibition, you can find out about booking a place by looking here .
I'm also very excited to say I will be running two workshops at the gallery entitled" Landscapes In Threads" starting on Saturday 7th of January.
This will be an opportunity to develop your own drawings through experimentation in your sketch book, learning how to translate it into stitch by using hand and machine work.
You will be able to play with many different colours, textures, fibres and threads, exploring there endless possibilities!
Booking is essential as places are limited, click here for details on how to book.
Looking forward to seeing you there if you can make it.
Michala x

Mono Printing

2011-10-24T19:22:00.002+01:00

On Friday I visited Stratford -Upon-Avon college and was made very welcome by the Guild of Weavers, Spinners and Dyers.
I had been asked to do a talk about my work and it was a great opportunity for me to share my latest stitching, sketch book development and to enthuse about art textiles.
Luckily it's one subject that I am never lost for words!

This week it's half term so I have been experimenting with mono printing, here is one I did today based on some of my sketches.
I have used a water based ink which I have applied onto perspex using a small roller.
I then drew into the ink using cloth, cotton buds and a pencil, the next step is taking a piece of paper and then placing it on top, applying firm pressure and rubbing the paper evenly all over.
You then lift off your paper carefully and you should have a simple print!

Herbert Gallery News

2011-09-23T22:48:00.002+01:00

Hello, I'm still here amongst my piles of threads, using them to sketch and paint my own personal memories and observations of nature.

It's less than three months until my exhibition " Seas Of Grass" opens at The Herbert Art Gallery in Coventry.

The Herbert have asked if I would do a talk about my work during the exhibition in December as well as a two day work shop in January which will include creative sketch book work and of course stitching.

When I get more details I will let you know.

If you check out the Herbert Art Gallery website you will notice that there are many other interesting exhibitions coming up, including Turner prize nominee George Shaw, who's childhood memories of urban landscapes, featuring housing estates, bike sheds and playing fields are painted with model making Humbrol enamel paint.

The Tree and The Mountain

2011-09-02T21:01:00.002+01:00

The Tree and The Mountain

We returned from our holiday in Italy last week which already seems a distant memory.

As an artist the Italian landscape seemed like heaven.

Our journey took us inland from the coastal town of Albenga, travelling up into the Maritime Alps.

I became fascinated with the mountain's, densely populated with trees, it led to me sketching and photographing them everyday.

It has inspired a whole series of paintings and drawings as I try and capture the intensity of the light, the living breathing mass of vegetation and the sheer dramatic beauty of nature.

Colourful Landscape

2011-08-08T21:21:00.002+01:00

We are off on holiday soon to Italy, so before we go, I thought I would share with you my latest stitching.
I wanted to continue with a large piece again as my mark making is far more gestural on this scale.
The abstraction has developed from an earlier painting, I find it exciting to continue to play with the balance of colour, stitching colour over colour, varying density of threads and leaving areas of loose fine fibers.
This is going to take a very long time so this piece may not make the exhibition, which means I will have to find another place to display it!

The Wistful Landscape

2011-08-01T20:16:00.002+01:00

How did August arrive so quickly?

It seems as if the seasons are all mixed up , last week like autumn and now back to summer.

The last few days have been humid, yet there is a distinct Autumn feel to the trees, the leaves already yellowing, many on the ground.

Our Magnolia tree however is in bloom again, perhaps confused by our weather?

Last week I visited The Royal Academy Of Arts Summer Show in London which is on display until the 15th August.

It was a day of discovery and exciting to see the work of many artists shown altogether.

My sketchbook is filling up with many drawings and I have just started another two large textile pieces which I hope to show you soon.

Have a good week.

M x

Back To Stitching

2011-07-16T21:32:00.000+01:00

It's a return to stitching this week and my threads are now my paints.
I'm just taking my time to enjoy working experimentally, playing with my ideas and exploring the recent mark making in my sketch book.
I visited Compton Verney this week to see the Stanley Spencer exhibition which is featuring many of his English country gardens.
His work is incredibly detailed and gives us a romantic view of village life in the 1940's and 1950's.
But if you look closely you will see many boundaries, fences, walls, hedges and barbed wire which protect these beautiful idyllic gardens, which is said to have been Stanley Spencer's heaven.
Perhaps subconsciously he is protecting this very English garden of Eden.
You can find out more about Stanley Spencer here http://www.stanleyspencer.org.uk/

Sketching Stitches

2011-06-25T21:56:00.001+01:00

This week I'm working in my sketch book.

I'm experimenting and developing my composition, looking closely at how I relate to my landscapes, how do they make me feel and how can I become a part of them?

I have finished my last piece for the exhibition which is a great relief and now I have some time to tidy my mass of jumbled threads!

June Stitching

2011-06-03T22:46:00.002+01:00

My blog updates have been less frequent due to the amount of stitching I have, but the good news is I'm on my finale piece for the exhibition!

Yesterday I spent the morning at The Herbert Art Gallery going through the work I will be exhibiting, checking measurements, how it will be displayed and lots of paper work.
There is so much work that goes on behind the scenes prior to an exhibition with many decisions to be made.
I have included a range of paintings and drawings which are the starting point of my textile pieces and you will also be able to see some of my sketch books.
The piece above is a section from my piece titled 'The Magic Oak Tree'.

Embroidery Magazine

2011-05-01T19:43:00.002+01:00

I'm very excited to tell you my latest work is featured in The Embroiderer's Guild , Embroidery magazine, May / June issue.
This is a dream come true for me as I have been interested in embroidery as an art form since childhood and I first had the magazine in the 1980's when I was at school!
Click the link HERE to find out more.
A big thank you to Jo Hall the editor for the write up and displaying my work in such a beautiful magazine.

Back From France

2011-04-22T21:36:00.003+01:00

I have been away from my blog not just to stitch but to fit in a much needed holiday.
My travels took me to where many artists have been inspired by the dazzling, intense light of the Cote d'Azur.
In Antibes I spent the afternoon in the Picasso Museum, with a wonderful range of art works, not just by Picasso.
These included the distinctive figures of Germaine Richier which stood against a dramatic back drop of sky and sea.
Other artists to see were Miro, Max Ernst, Niki de Saint Phalle, Tapies and many others.
There were many inspiring works by Picasso in the vast range of mediums this creative man used.
On one wall many of Picasso's hand painted plates were displayed in box frames, each an individual work of art and collectively an amazing decorative display.
In the corridors connecting the galleries were interesting photograph's of Picasso at work in his home studio.

Another day took me to the Medieval town Vence where I came across a tree made famous by the painter Chaim Soutine you can see his painting Tree Of Vence here.
This town has many small, interesting, private galleries and it is also famous for the chapelle du Rosaire designed by Matisse.
When I was not sight seeing I spent my time sketching, this view is through two trees over looking the sea from Jean- Cap- Ferrat.

I'm now back to working towards my exhibition in December and continue to stitch my vast landscapes.

Wishing you a Happy Easter and I will be back soon with more stitching!

Michala

Thread Visions

2011-03-21T19:35:00.001Z

The Landscapes are growing, not in quantity but in size.
I have been working on this one for months, it has engulfed me both physically and mentally.
Last weekend I did manage a few days away staying with my sister and enjoyed an evening at The Royal Albert Hall.
We saw the opera Madame Butterfly, which was extremely beautiful and moving.

This week I will continue working on the piece above and also another larger textile wall hanging.

Tears In The Forest

2011-02-20T12:53:00.000Z

I'm still here amongst my piles of threads, busy stitching my dreams and memories.
Here is a sketch that I'm working on at the moment and this is leading to many other ideas in my sketch book.
I have the half term break this week so it's a good opportunity for me to catch up with my blog reading and to really focus on my work.
There is always so much to do!

Exhibitions And Stitches

2011-01-26T22:42:00.001Z

It's been a while since I have updated my blog due to the amount of stitching I have been immersed in.
I'm working on a whole blanket, my landscape engulfing me as if I am part of it!
My stitching becomes more intense as I work over the larger areas of tree tops, the light more dramatic, the colours more vivid.
I will show this larger work at the exhibition, the picture above is of my miniature landscapes which, I think, are like my stepping stones to the vast pieces I am working on at present.

A couple of weeks ago I met Richard Elms who interviewed me about my work for The Herbert Art Gallery Podcast Boiler Room series.
You can here a snippet of my interview here http://www.theherbert.org/index.php/home/podcasts, it's episode three and I'm half way through the programme.
The rest of my interview will be on their website nearer the time of my exhibition.
Talking of exhibitions there are many interesting ones to visit this year at The Herbert, do check out their website, at the moment they have a costume exhibition which you could get involved with, see here http://www.flickr.com/groups/herbert_dressed_up/
They are asking you to contribute photo's of your very best outfits and the best ones will be included in the exhibition!
I'm looking forward to visiting many exhibition this year including one in the Summer at Compton Verney, a historical house and gardens which is now an art gallery.
The exhibition is Stanley Spencer and the English garden and looks at Spencer's lesser known garden views and landscapes painted before and just after the second world war.
I know that this exhibition will be inspiring.

A New Year!

2011-01-07T21:57:00.001Z

This is a selection of my art work from last year, a year which looking back has been exceptionally creative for me.
Some of these including many new pieces will be on show at the end of this year at The Herbert Art Gallery in Coventry.
I have recorded a pod cast interview about my work at the gallery, so before the exhibition you will be able to hear me talking about how important my art work is to me and my life.
There maybe a small snippet of it next week which I will link on my blog!

This is going to be a very busy year for me as I continue to develop my art work.
Having the opportunity to share my work with a gallery audience has taken me on a new exciting journey, working on much larger pieces, which has been challenging and liberating.
My landscape, feelings and dreams, anything I want it to be.

Wishing You A Merry Christmas

2010-12-24T16:36:00.001Z

Our Snow arrived on Wednesday and within about an hour we had about 20cm of snow!
Unfortunately our boiler decided to pack up at the same time!!
I rushed out or shall I say trudged out, in all the snow, to get a couple of heaters and several hot water bottles.
It seems a lot of boilers have suffered in this cold spell and the earliest date we could get someone to look at it was the 29th of December.
So the last few days we have been wearing hats, coats and scarfs indoors with hot water bottles stuffed up our jumpers!
Then yesterday my husband continued to try and fix it and miraculously it worked, although we are not sure for how long.
I hope you have a wonderful Christmas and New Year without travel disruptions or boilers breaking down.
M x

Winter Wonderland

2010-12-15T21:54:00.002Z

Hawthorn Frost

Hello,
We had the most amazing frosts last week and these few pictures are from our garden.
I wished I had been able to walk through Abbey Fields our local park, as the trees were exceptionally beautiful, a Winter wonderland which I could only glimpse at on my way to work.
Trees covered in frozen tears, sparkling like diamonds against the bluest sky I had ever seen.

I have many stitched pieces I am working on and I am holding back in showing you as I want some surprises for my exhibition next year.
Next week I am going to The Herbert Art Gallery to record a pod cast interview about my work which at some point I hope to share with you here.
I must now get back to my stitching , have a good week and wrap up warm as that cold weather is on it's way back!
Michala x

Winter Landscape

2010-11-26T17:26:00.000Z

It's turned icy cold here this week, but thankfully with clear blue skies and sunshine.
We have not experienced the heavy snow that the North has.
Here is my own Winter Landscape.

Please forgive my limited time on the computer as I have a huge amount of stitching to do this weekend, in fact a whole blanket of stitching!!
Thanks so much for visiting my blog and for anyone who pops by or follows, have a lovely weekend.
M x

I'm Still Stitching!

2010-11-11T20:24:00.001Z

Last week I went on a school trip to The Herbert Art Gallery to see Street Art , a touring exhibition from the Victoria and Albert Museum, London.
The work on show is from many well know street art artists including Banksy and Shepard Fairey.
I was surprised to find some very thought provoking images and a wide use of materials which had been used in unusual and creative ways.
This included a tree made of old industrial timber pieces and painted with African style patterns and faces, which seemed to me to represent an urban jungle.
The children also attended a work shop to produce their own street art and had a very enjoyable, busy afternoon.
I'm off on another school trip at the weekend to visit the art galleries in Birmingham which I hope to tell you about next week.
I spent all last weekend on my own work and I'm stitching on many new landscapes for the exhibition.
Bye for now
Michala

Sketching Landscapes

2010-11-04T19:53:00.000Z

I had some news from The Herbert Art Gallery this week which has been making me nervous, well, I think it's positive nerves because it has spurred me on with my stitching and drawing.
My work will now be in a larger gallery space measuring 44 display running metres and I now have some pencilled in dates for the 3rd December 2011 until 29th January 2012.
So, I have an extra few months but I will need more work!
As I write this, I have various blankets submerged in dye, including some very large pieces, one in the sink, a bucket and a washing up bowl, not to mention purple fingers because of a hole in my washing up gloves!
This weekend I will devote my time to my sketchbook and sewing machine.

Here is one of my sketches from a few weeks ago, before the leaves started to turn.
Have a great weekend.
M x

Art Stitches

2010-10-24T16:41:00.000+01:00

This week I have some of my art work on display at The One Elm in Stratford-Upon -Avon.
The event is called The Roaming gallery and a selection of artists will have work on display on Thursday 28th October from 5.00pm until 11.00pm.
The event is being organized by Ginger The Art Of Print you can find out more about the event here http://www.theroaminggallery.co.uk/.

I will have a few textile art works and art brooches available to buy.

If you have time do pop over to Gina's blog she has photo's of a quilt my Mum -in-law has nearly completed and also news of a very interesting lace art project she is working on about continuity and connectivity.

I have still been working on exhibition pieces, mainly working in my sketch book and with half term this week, I will endeavour to experiment with my paints.
Those of you in the UK may be interested in the series The Genius Of British Art, on tonight, which is called 'Visions of England' and focuses on landscape, can't wait to watch it!
I hope you have a good week.
M x

Pink Sky

2010-10-16T17:46:00.000+01:00

Another stitched landscape to add to my collection.

"When The Leaves Become The Sun"

2010-10-11T17:47:00.000+01:00

I did not manage to get to London at the weekend ,so missed The Knitting & Stitching Show.
Luckily one of my blog friends did go Sharne and she took lots of photo's including one of my brooches on the Embroiderers Guild stand.
Thanks so much Sharne.x

The leaves are turning beautiful shades of gold and red, like the trees are dressed in splendid royal gowns.
The low Autumn sun has been the inspiration for this miniature stitched landscape and also a painting I am working on at the moment.
I hope your enjoying the colours of Autumn.

Stitch Magazine

2010-10-06T18:43:00.000+01:00

If you buy this months Embroiderers Guild magazine Stitch, you will find my wearable art "Still Life" brooches. Here is the link to discover whats inside http://www.embroiderersguild.com/stitch/currentissue.html
I hope you like them, they are wonderful to make using up all those small scraps of lace and fabric you can't bare to throw away, treasured in your own art piece.

I have managed to set up my display of art landscape brooches at The Herbert Art Gallery in Coventry this week.
They have glass units to display local artists work for a three month period, it's a lovely shop,spacious and modern in the centre of the gallery.
I am always inspired after my visit and The Herbert has an interesting collection of old masters including work by Lowery,Robert Polehill Bevan and a painting by Paul Nash "The Stackyard", which I love.

So I have been working intensely in my sketch book, trying to capture the changing season's colours and light. Filling each page with line drawings and pastel sketches.

Anyone planning a trip to The Knitting & Stitching Show?

A friend and I hope we can take an early train down to London Saturday morning, well that is the plan, if I'm not too exhausted with all the stitching and painting I have been working on this week!

Art Brooches For Galleries

2010-09-27T21:47:00.000+01:00

Amongst my larger textile pieces and paintings I have also been working on a new range of landscape brooches for The Herbert Art Gallery in Coventry and also for the Leamington Spa Gallery.
Each one is unique, signed and taken from ideas in my sketch book, individual drawn thread worlds, miniature art works which could also be framed.
They should be available to buy from the galleries by next week.

I'm hoping they will make unusual, original gifts, in time for Christmas!
Thank you so much if you have visited and left a comment, apologises If I have not replied.
My normal blogging should resume shortly.

Immersed In My Work

2010-09-18T17:03:00.000+01:00

Hello,
I have been so immersed in my painting and stitching and getting back to the busy school routine, I have not had chance to visit blogs or write here recently.

Yesterday the Herbert Art Gallery contacted me to say they would like me to have a stand in their shop from this October for my brooches and cards and also to produce a range of cards for them especially for the exhibition.
It's very exciting but I wish I had more time!

There are many pieces I am working on, some which I will keep as a surprise for the exhibition.

Here is another quick drawing from my sketch book.

So for now I am going to plug in my ipod and listen to Chopin while I stitch in a world of my own, ignoring the housework again!

Working For The Exhibition

2010-09-05T17:14:00.000+01:00

Another piece finished, smaller this time 28cm by 36cm although when framed it will be of course larger.
Inspired by the trees, near a small village where I live, their beautiful roots exposed and entwined.

I have a very busy a week ahead with school, I am working with the A'level art students which is very exciting for me.
There are lots of new displays to put up and many projects to sort out, not to mention all the stitching I have to do when I get home!
My children also start back and for one of them it will be their GCSE year, how did that come around so quickly?

Bye for now M x

August Stitching

2010-08-28T17:50:00.003+01:00

We have had so much rain this August, I can count on one hand the dry sunny days we have had.
It rained here for at least 48 hours non stop this week, so apart from taking the dog out we stayed in, this gave me time to work on my handmade felt, stitching my "August Walk" landscape.
If we get a dry day we hope to go blackberry picking, it looks like a good year which is maybe because of our wet August!

Before I forget I must say thank you to Twiglet for her blog award.

P.S If you click the image you can see the whole picture, I have uploaded the extra large size but it won't fit on the page!

A Sea Of Grass

2010-08-24T10:37:00.002+01:00

Stitching, stitching, stitching!!
Thank you to Madeira threads who provided their Lana wool threads which are used in this piece of work.

Festival Of Quilts Day Out

2010-08-23T22:31:00.001+01:00

It was my first visit to the Quilt show and I wasn't disappointed as there was so much to see.
Luckily as I had pre ordered tickets my Mum and I got in fairly quickly, but for those who had to buy a ticket there was a very long queue.
I took quite a few hurried photo's, so these are the less blurred pictures.

I hope the artist's will not mind me sharing their beautiful work as I don't have all their names.

This is The Ground Zero quilt by Lois Jarvis, it places the pictures of 621 individuals who perished at the world trade center.You can read more about this artists work here http://www.loisjarvisquilts.com/GZQ/gzq.html

A face in Patch work.

This is a sea of bonnets each one hand embroidered with the name and date of the women who were sent away to Australia from the UK on the convict ships.

In some cases they only committed petty crimes, such as stealing bread.

A demonstration area

There was also lots of tempting stalls, so I did buy a few silk fibers and a book on European Quilts!

After all the excitement of the show it was back to my own work and I completed my "Thread Life" painting.

More Sketches

2010-08-17T16:55:00.000+01:00

We had a lovely day yesterday with the children at Ragley Hall which is famous for it's sculpture park.
See HERE.
We chose a perfect day to go, warm and sunny which has been rather lacking this holiday.

I took many photo's of the gardens, sculptures and woodland which is exceptionally beautiful and well worth a visit.
I have continued to sketch between stitching, I'm almost afraid to stop, as I know how much work is ahead of me.
Every opportunity I have, I look for inspiration from nature and landscape.

Here are a few more sketches which I have been working on.
Tomorrow is my Birthday and I am spending it with my family and no doubt we will be out for coffee and cakes!
Thursday I'm visiting The Festival Of Quilts, a birthday treat, so a busy week.

I Think It's Finished!

2010-08-11T09:19:00.001+01:00

It's finished, I think, although I may be tempted to add a few more stitches!

'August Walk'

2010-08-08T16:16:00.001+01:00

I have spent most of the week out and about sketching, in between the summer showers!
The wheat is ready to be cut, it looks dry and dusty now.

I love the colour of the yellow fields against the lush green trees.

There are so many interesting patterns in the landscape, I wish I had more time!

Recently, I have been asked by an art studio in Leamington Spa if I could run some weekend workshops, so when I get more details I will let you know.

Tree Shadows & New Painting

2010-08-03T15:05:00.000+01:00

The holidays have given me more time to spend on my art work, although I have taken to hiding the washing upstairs in a big pile and ironing as and when!
I have been stitching my ' Tree Shadows' piece which has flowed, in a very organic, rhythmical way, through the machine.

I have also been sketching and painting,' A Sea Of Grass' my most recent work, which holds many thoughts.

Yesterday I booked my tickets for my Mum and I to visit The Festival Of Quilts in Birmingham.
This will be my first visit and I'm so looking forward to seeing the fine art quilts and a day out!

Landscape Painting

2010-07-28T20:16:00.001+01:00

The first week of the summer holidays and all we have had is cloud and rain!

My sister and I took our dogs and children for a walk through the fields and I not wishing to miss an opportunity, took some photo's of the landscape.

The fields had been full of blue flowers which I had sadly missed, but they had gone over to reveal a beautiful pale colour green, a perfect shade with the purple Borage and pink grass.
We walked to Kenilworth castle and I love this view through the trees.

When we returned home I started to do some more painting and sketching inspired by our walk.
Fingers crossed the weather improves!

My Heart & Soul

2010-07-23T16:25:00.000+01:00

Working in threads "The Oak" for my exhibition at The Herbert Art Gallery in Coventry.
I'm on the Herbert website see here
Sorry this is a short post but I'm engrossed in my stitching and I'm putting my heart and soul into this piece.....it may take some time.

Tree

2010-07-21T18:07:00.001+01:00

A tree for a friend stitched with love.

Thread Heaven

2010-07-18T18:52:00.002+01:00

This week I was relieved to find another sponsor for my exhibition at the The Herbert Art Gallery & Museum
I have to say thank you to Dylon who will sponsor me with dyes for my exhibition.
I say relief, because as some of you may know, my husband has been out of work and the cost of materials and framing has been a concern.
Luckily my husband has picked up some contract work recently, so I'm hoping we will be able to cover the framing costs or perhaps get some form of sponsorship or grant to go towards it.

I also received a large box of amazingly colourful threads from Madeira.
How excited was I and compelled to use them in my art straight away...thread heaven!

Today I have been working on a brooch for a friend, it's for a relative who moved to America and this was a tree from the view of their former home.
Earlier, despite the grey clouds, I took the dog and camera for a walk.
It's elating to find beautiful views so close to home that you have never discovered before and I am eager to translate these into paintings and then stitch.

I hope you have a nice week ahead, we break up for the summer...yipee!

The Oak

2010-07-10T17:42:00.001+01:00

Painting my sketches of the fields that surround me.

Life Study And More Stitches

2010-07-09T21:00:00.000+01:00

Last week I returned to life drawing, It's going to take me a while to get back to the discipline of studying the figure, I forgot how much I love it and how I use what I learn, to bring life to my landscapes.

The scene I'm stitching at the moment is draped over my sewing machine, I have started to add heavier stitching with many different types of threads.
My work space is small and cluttered, I don't seem to find the time to sort it out, stitching is more important!!

Drawing

2010-07-03T21:16:00.000+01:00

Today we have been in Meldreth, which is near Royston, in Hertfordshire for my Grandma's 90th birthday party.
It was a lovely day for her and all her family from far and wide who came together to celebrate.
On the journey down I took lots of photographs of fields, trees and skies.
Oh dear, too many and I'm filling up the memory on the computer!

Here are a few sketches I have been working on this week, these have been done while out walking.
I think I may try painting the pen sketch to experiment with colours.

I hope your having a lovely weekend.

More Stitching

2010-06-27T18:06:00.000+01:00

I have been stitching this week on a new larger textile piece.
Again, I have referred to my sketch book as my starting point, where I recorded how the light and shadows played between the olive trees in Cimiez, Nice.

I felt in awe of the landscapes magical beauty, as the light streamed in, reminding me of a colourful stained glass window in a church.
I have many hours of stitching ahead of me, hand and machine.

Madeira threads contacted me this week and offered to sponsor me in threads for my exhibition at The Herbert Art Gallery.
To say I'm excited by this prospect is an understatement, when you know my obsession with threads!!

Working Sketches

2010-06-22T19:18:00.000+01:00

On Sunday, a glorious Summer day I went out with my sketch book.

I sat in the long grass surrounded by the tall, waving meadow sweet and yellow buttercups.
The landscape felt fresh, the new growth vibrant in the strong sunlight.

My aim is to spend a lot of time in my sketch book so I have a good range of work to select and develop from.

The Most Exciting News!

2010-06-18T20:55:00.001+01:00

I won't forget this week in a hurry, in particular Monday, when I was on my way back from Warwick with my Mum and my husband phoned.
I couldn't believe it when he told me he had just taken a call from the Herbert Art Gallery, I had won the people's choice award!
The winning prize is the opportunity to have my own exhibition at this wonderful gallery in Autumn 2011.
I will need to have at least forty pieces of work, which will show a range of different media and a lot of stitched pieces.
So the hard work starts now and I hope to share my journey, preparing for this exhibition with you.
Thank you from the bottom of my heart if you voted or you follow my blog as you have given me the confidence to develop my work.
As soon as I get firm dates I will let you know, as your all invited!
Click here for more information on the gallery http://www.theherbert.org/herbertMedia

A Day At The Fair

2010-06-13T21:44:00.001+01:00

It was an honour to take part in the 800 years celebration of Holy Trinity church.
This is the resting place of Shakespeare and it was strange to think he had probably worshiped here.
I had a wonderful view of the large stained glass windows, the clear bright coloured glass, gleaming like jewels as the sunlight streamed in.
It felt like you had been transported back in time, as dancers and musicians in Mediaeval dress danced through the church.

I wished I had been able to take more photographs but it was very busy and I was also demonstrating.
Luckily my Mum was there to help, who you can see hiding behind the stall!

Thank you so much to all my customers who purchased cards, pictures and brooches.

This week I'm going to start on a new large landscape, I'm playing with colour ideas in my sketchbook.
More soon...

A Tiny Forest

2010-06-11T19:37:00.000+01:00

These small trees are ready for me to take to the Medieval Fair in Stratford-Upon-Avon tomorrow.
The Fair is at Holy Trinity Church and is also know as Shakespere's Church http://holytrinitymediaevalfayre.ning.com/
There will be demonstrations of archery,bee-keeping,weaving,spinning and dyeing, felt making (me),blacksmithing,calligraphy,basket making,coracle making and Leamington Embroiderers Guild will be showing their work.
Admission is free and it will be opened by the actor David Bradley, who plays Mr Filch in the Harry Potter films.
The weather looks as if it will be kind to us so hopefully it will be a good day.
M x

Trees For A Mediavel Fair

2010-06-05T15:40:00.002+01:00

A moment of calm as I write this blog post, while sipping my camomile tea.
I seem to have endless things to do and little time to do them.
The weather is warm and humid and this morning we took our dog out before it got too hot.

He is now snoozing, I just had to share this picture.

I have been busy stitching for the Mediavel Fair in Stratford-Upon-Avon which is next Saturday.
These little trees I hope will find new homes and I have also made printed cards of my larger embroidery pieces, I will add a few to my etsy shop.

Thank you Kaye of Stitching Life who purchased one of my trees to add to her lovely sketch book.

Now it's back to drawing....more soon.

Friday Stitchy Feeling

2010-05-28T20:56:00.003+01:00

I have a great Friday feeling as it's the start of the half term break, but it's also because I'm in Stitch magazine on my favourite things page and they included my "Abbey Fields" embroidery.
So if you happen to be in the newsagents this weekend take a peek in the back page.

Life's not been a bed of roses of late due to the recession so this has felt like a positive for a change.
My motto has to be "Stitching got me through it!"

Here is one of my brooches I'm stitching for the Mediaeval Fair in Stratford-Upon-Avon on June 12th.
It's suddenly sprung up on me, so I'm going to be industrious with my needle and threads.
I hope you have a great week.
M x

May Stitching & Painting

2010-05-24T16:47:00.000+01:00

Here is a painting I did early last week based on a few sketches I made and also partly my imagination.
It was nice to have a change and to experiment with my paints.

The last few days we have had blue skies and warm sunshine, Summer feels real at last, not just a distant memory and it feels good.
We have beautiful yellow fields here in May and the trees are full of blossom, my favourite time of year.
This has had a direct influence on my mood and colour choices and so I continued with my Matisse inspired brooches.
I do hope Summer stays with us longer this time.

Inspired By Matisse

2010-05-14T17:08:00.003+01:00

Did you see the wonderful art programme on the BBC last Sunday, Modern Masters, featuring the work of Matisse?
If you didn't manage to see it, it's available to view on iplayer.
See here http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b00sfsnd/hd/Modern_Masters_Matisse/
I was fascinated to learn how Matisse developed his work and how it changed dramatically when he moved to the South of France.
Influenced by the startling bright colours of the Cote d'Azure he revolutionized the way artists used colour.
This programme is a series of four, I have yet to see the first about Andy Warhol and I'm looking forward to seeing the next on Picasso.
So this piece is inspired by the way Matisse used colour in a Kayla coo kind of way!

Reaching Out To The Sky

2010-05-09T17:49:00.002+01:00

I spent the day sewing yesterday, yes nearly all day, although this was at an embroiderers guild work shop I attended in leamington.
Our tutor was Jo Owen, a lovely lady who shared her passion for textiles with a wonderful talk and a display of her varied work.
We could stitch any landscape and I dipped into my sketch book for inspiration. The only requirement was to use only one type of stitch by hand, I chose couching.
Today I have been catching up with house work, but in my head I'm still placing stitches in patterns!

Stitched With Love

2010-05-06T22:49:00.001+01:00

I'm making brooches for different fairs and art exhibitions at the moment, a busy time of year.
The Kenilworth Art Society is having a display of paintings, cards and a few of my brooches, at The lodge in Jefferson gardens Leamington Spa, for a week from the 15th of May.
I love creating my landscapes, a time to dream, absorbed in my stitching.

Sketching

2010-05-04T19:06:00.001+01:00

My daughter and I had the house to ourselves this bank holiday, as husband and son went on a rugby tour to Bournemouth.
It was a very cold weekend here, a shock after the recent warm sunshine, when I sat outside and made these quick sketches.
I have been busy stitching on new work for the http://holytrinitymediaevalfayre.ning.com/ which is on June 12th, do click the link as there is lots of information on other arts and crafts people who will be demonstrating and selling work and details of the free fun activities.
I hope to bring you more stitching soon.

My Life In Stitches

2010-04-26T21:09:00.001+01:00

Firstly a few pictures from my London trip last week and a brief account.
We visited Spitalfields market on the Thursday, traveling on the top deck of a red London bus.
It's a great way to see the sights and I had a perfect view of the city of London.
Spitalfield market is now quite a trendy place with independent shops,bars and cafes surrounding the covered market.
Thursday is the antique market and my sister and I took our time looking through the vintage clothing and textiles.

Our afternoon was spent in Covent Garden, we had tried to visit the Van Gogh exhibition but sadly the queues were enormous, we would have been waiting for hours to get in!
We then decided to walk along The Embankment, by the Thames, to The Tate Modern from where I took this picture of St Pauls Cathedral.
It was a lovely break and I'm looking forward to returning again soon!

This week I had a copy of http://www.crossstitchermagazine.co.uk/ sent to me as I am featured in their "Life In Stitches" article, as you can imagine my Mum had to go out and buy several copies!!
My life indeed has been dominated by my obsession in drawing with threads, it has not abated yet, in fact it grows stronger.
It is now managing my time to stitch that I find difficult, which I'm sure is the case for many textile artists.

Here are a few items I have been stitching last week.

Bye for now.
Mx

Lace Tree Brooch

2010-04-18T19:08:00.001+01:00

I'm back from London after a lovely, busy few days with my sister.
This will be a short post as my daughter needs the computer for revision as she has mock exams this week and next.
Thank you if you took part in my give away, my daughter selected numbers out of the bag and the brooch will be on it's way to Anne, http://cardinalarts.blogspot.com/ and I'm sending post cards to filz-t-raum.ch http://filz-t-raumundherzensdinge.blogspot.com/ as a runner up prize.
I hope they will not take too long to get there because I'm sure the airmail post will be delayed due to the flight ban in most of Europe.
I also must say thank you to Helen of http://helen-lambert.blogspot.com/ who kindly sent me some wool which I hope to use in a textile project soon.

I will post London pictures sometime this week.
Lastly a brooch made from fragments of lace.

Abstract Stitching & Sketching

2010-04-13T20:57:00.010+01:00

Here are a few more brooches to share with you, these are stitched again as I would paint, lots of small stitches dancing,flowing and creating rhythms of colour.

As we have had a few sunny days, I managed to do some drawing in our local park, with dog, son, husband and rugby ball!
I found a shelterd spot to sit in the sunshine and sketched very quickly,these drawings may develope into paintings.

Tomorrow I am off to London to stay with my sister,I'm so excited!
We are planning a visit to Spitterfields Market on Thursday as it has lots of antique stalls on that day and I think it has vintage clothing too.
Also to visit, if we can get in, the http://www.royalacademy.org.uk/exhibitions/vangogh/ to see the Van Gogh exhibition.

Oh and if you would like to enter my draw,do leave a comment in the post below, it finishes on Saturday.

I hope you have a lovely week.

M x

This Could Be For You

2010-04-10T19:17:00.006+01:00

Hi
I've been a bit slow on the blogging due to the Easter Holidays, having been busy stitching, drawing and...going out at every given opportunity for tea and cake!
On Tuesday I visited the Herbert Gallery in Coventry to take a few pictures to share with you.
My work is the one above the box with shoes, the landscape with trees, sorry not a great photograph.
As you can see there was some wonderful,inspiring work.

They have a lovely Cafe with interesting art work and sculpture, I like how you feel you are sitting actually in the gallery with plenty to see, including a patio area with more sculptured works.

I have more drawings and stitching to share which will be in another post soon, but first I want to say thanks for anyone who takes the time to kindly visit.
If you want the opportunity of winning one of my brooches from my still life series, just leave a comment before 8pm Saturday 17th April and you will be entered into my draw.
I hope you have a great weekend.
M x

Easter Stitching

2010-04-04T18:29:00.010+01:00

Happy Easter, I hope you are enjoying your Easter break.
We have just finished our roast beef and Yorkshire pudding with a nice glass of wine.
It's still bright and sunny outside although a little cold.

Last week has been very busy and I have been looking forward to having time to catch up with general jobs at home, including a major tidy up in the garden which has been some what neglected!

On Thursday I attended the preview of the 2010 Open exhibition at The Herbert Art Gallery in Coventry where my 'Abbey Fields' embroidery is on show.
I will post some pictures soon, as we are visiting it again tomorrow, to take pictures of the gallery.
If you can visit I need your votes!
They have a peoples choice award and the work with the most votes, will be fortunate to win an exhibition of their work at this prestigious gallery.
This would be a dream come true, if I were lucky enough to win, although the chances are slim, as there are seventy excellent art works to choose from.

I have added a few more wooden dolls to my collection, one I found in a charity shop.
I'm sure my obsession for them stems from the comfort they give me in bringing back memories of my childhood.

More stitching to share with you, I'm still working on the large piece and also a few more brooches.

I'm in the process of making a brooch for a blog give away this week so more to follow soon.

Fabric Art

2010-03-28T19:14:00.003+01:00

A new brooch or small picture I made today.
It's made entirely from recycled fabrics an old blanket, wool coat, vintage fabrics and threads.
I am obsessed at turning discarded textiles into, I hope, something beautiful.
Trouble is I'm living amongst piles of fabrics!

Exhibitions & Cotton Reels

2010-03-25T21:02:00.007Z

Hello,
I had some exciting new this week, when I found out that one of my embroideries has been selected for the 2010 Open exhibition, at The Herbert Art Gallery & Museum in Coventry
I did enter my larger piece which was not selected but luckily this one above of Abbey Fields, a park near where I live was chosen.

The opening night is on April 1st and the exhibition ends June 13th.

Today I have been at The Sewing For Pleasure Show at the NEC, I had a great time and saw so many people I knew.
Hello to Judy a fellow stitching friend, who has not got a blog yet, but should have one!
If you are going to the show, say hello to Kathy on the Embroiderers Guild magazine stand, who is very kindly displaying my work again.
There was so many inspiring textile works on display, including a display of work from the book, Inspired to Stitch by Diana Springall.
I loved looking at the Oscar winning costumes from the film 'The Duchess' starring Keira Knightly and Ralph Fiennes.

I have many old wooden cotton reels as I can't bare to throw them away.
I know I'm a bit strange but my life revolves around threads, so I have painted my own landscape on one of them, I think I may need to get some smaller brushes!

Spring Trees

2010-03-19T17:51:00.005Z

Hello,

I have a few more tree fabric brooches to share with you.

The yellow tree I made for my Mum for Mothers day and the pink blossom one to add to etsy.

I found a lovely vintage fabric for the blossom.

Last week I was contacted by the organizer of a Mediaeval fair, which will celebrate the 800th birthday of Holy Trinity Church ( Shakespeare's church) in Stratford Upon Avon, details you will find here http://www.stratford-upon-avon.org/2010.html .

I have been asked to demonstrate felting and to sell my embroidery brooches, smaller pictures and cards.

It's not until June 12th, so I will let you know more about it nearer the time.

The event is free and should be a wonderful day out.

Hope you enjoy the weekend.x

A Kaylacoo World

2010-03-14T17:23:00.002Z

Another world to escape to, just made from wool, fabric and threads.

A Cornish Landscape

2010-03-09T16:36:00.007Z

I spent most of Sunday stitching and completely neglected the house work!

You may remember the sketch I did in Cornwall on holiday near Bude, you can see it HERE.

This view is between Widemouth bay and Bude along the coastal road, on a very blowy day with the sun streaming out between the clouds.

I decided to work on a larger scale again, so this is working progress and there will be a lot more stitching to come.

The Sewing For Pleasure Show is on at the NEC Birmingham see Here, from the 25th to the 28th March.

I will be going on the Thursday and my work will be on display again on the Embroiderers Guild Stitch magazine stand.

I'm looking forward to seeing all the displays and demonstrations and of course the opportunity to purchase more threads!

Bye for now.x

Floral Trees

2010-03-03T17:16:00.006Z

Sold

Yesterday all sorts of mad things went on in my twitter account.

I had clicked on a link in my direct messages from a trusted flickr friend saying check this blog out it has your work, so I did!

Little did I know that it was a spam email which led you to an empty blog, she had done the same, which activated the link to all her contacts and when I clicked on the link it sent spam email to many of mine!

So please be aware, luckily it was easily fixed by changing a password but what a pain and I'm so sorry if you had all this rubbish spam in your inbox.

I have been making a few floral trees this week, using tiny pieces of fabric, "waste not want not" as they say!

It's Framed!

2010-02-26T16:46:00.004Z

If you have been following my blog, you will know I have been working for months on a very large embroidery.

At last it is completed and I picked it up from the framers this week.

I felt very nervous because it was so difficult to choose the right colour mount and frame and I knew this was crucial to the piece.

When I saw the frame and deep box mount I was delighted, but then shock as I realized they had framed it back to front!!

All that work and I thought it had been ruined and how could they think the back was the front?

Luckily it was all sorted out but I did have to go back and collect it the next day.

I was very relieved to see that no damage had been done.

Another small textile brooch to show you with a mix of applique and stitch, I am enjoying using different fabric prints.

Have a great weekend and happy creating.x

Still Life Stitching

2010-02-19T16:37:00.010Z

Yesterday we had snow, it started about 1.00pm and fell steadily into the early hours of the morning.

Today, at least, we have had sunshine which has meant a beautiful bright light as the sun reflects on the snow.

I have been lucky to receive another Sunshine award from http://wychbury.blogspot.com/.

Thanks Paula.x

I have been playing with my fabrics and threads for my miniature still life pictures.

Here is a still life in my sketch book , I may use this for a larger stitched textile piece.

For sometime I have considered how I could make my landscapes integrate with my still life sketches, so now my land is the table cloth, my vase the trunk of my tree and the flowers become my leaves and branches.

I try and imagine that I'm walking in this landscape, as if I'm a character from 'The borrowers' by Mary Norton. This would be so much fun, although not if I got lost in my thread pile!

Textile Paintings

2010-02-15T21:00:00.006Z

I have had time to play with ideas this weekend and today, as school is closed for half term.

I have been looking forward to the break as it is always quite frantic at school just before the holiday, finishing off projects etc...

I completed blossom tree brooch and then decided to use up some pieces of wool that I had dyed a navy blue for another miniature landscape.

The fuchsia thread is from a vintage reel of cotton and it is a wonderful colour, especially against the dark blue.

If you're anything like me, you will no doubt have many small bits of fabric and lace which you can't throw away as

a. It's too beautiful to part with even if it's so small you can hardly see it.

b. It is very old so how can you possibly be the one to end it's life.

c. You have an emotional attachment to it (It was part of an old dress that belonged to a great grandma)

d. You need to recycle.

e. You are a very strange person who hordes small scraps because you like to paint pictures with them.

f. You are completely mad because you think all fabrics deserve a chance of a different life.

g. How could you part with it because you will never get that design, colour again etc...

h. You are inspired by the work of Edrica Huws see here http://www.guardian.co.uk/artanddesign/2007/aug/13/art and here amazing work.

Which leads me on to these two 'still life brooches' which I have been able to incorporate tiny fragments of lace and fabric.

Have a great week.

Altered Book & Stitching

2010-02-11T18:20:00.005Z

Hi,

We are back to the cold frosty weather here with a few snow and sleet showers, nothing compared to the blizzards in Washington America, I could not believe how much snow they have had!

I have been working on my altered book, the theme 1920's.

The colours of a painting by Matisse and a pot by Clarice Cliff inspired my front cover which I have covered in small pieces of tissue paper and ink.

Next I have started to add a few small objects, buttons, fabric, pictures and half an old belt buckle.

The fabric is french, I'm not sure how old it is, but the colours, I think, fit in with my theme.

We have half term holidays here next week, so with the weather staying cold I'm sure to be staying in with my sewing!

Slow Stitching

2010-02-04T16:46:00.008Z

I have still been working on my very large textile hanging this week, adding small hand stitches all over the embellished wool and silk.

I like to keep coming back to it between my smaller projects, the hand stitching is slow but relaxing.

Another piece to add to my altered book is this stitched Clarice Cliff pot, I'm not sure yet how it will all fit together with my lady and vintage fabric, I will keep experimenting.

I nearly forgot to say thank you to Julie at http://mixedmedia-jem.blogspot.com/ for some lovely cards, which I won in her give away.

Painting, Creating And Stitching!

2010-01-26T16:42:00.008Z

Last week I managed a few sketches and a painting in my sketch book.

I seem to have a fixation with dramatic skies, perhaps it's because our skies are very flat and grey at the moment.

The painting did start out as painting paper for a work shop I 'm going on next Saturday week.

It's a mixed media work shop and I have a huge list of things I need to take!

I have also been invited to take part in an altered book group local to me.

This, I might add is all new to me and I am hoping the work shop will help me in some of the processes you have to use.

We have nine members in the group and each has a book with which they pass on after they have decorated two pages in mixed media.

Each person has a different theme and at the end you will have nine different interpretations of your chosen subject in your book.

My chosen subject is The 1920's, I decorate the cover and first page and then it gets passed to the next person on the list.....I hope you get the idea.

At the end we meet for lunch ( looking forward to that bit) and get our books back, which will be sometime in November.... so should have time to fit it in, fingers crossed.

We hope then to have the books displayed in an exhibition.

I have been playing with ideas for my front cover by drawing my 1920's lady in thread, still lots of experimenting to do.

I will be adding some hand stitching to the front of her dress, I think, I have started with the loop for detached button hole.

Leaf tree is another tree brooch I made in the week, which I will add to my etsy shop....soon

Now I must thank Maria of http://creativebumblebee.blogspot.com/ for two awards and also Leigh http://leighshepherd.blogspot.com/ for another. Thank you so much!

Thanks so much for taking the time to visit my blog.

Bye for now.x

Inspired By Landscape

2010-01-17T14:20:00.007Z

Close up of foreground

Close up of sky

Oil Pastel Sketch

I have managed to list one of my paintings in etsy today for the first time.Here

This painting on paper is a combination of acrylic and oil pastel.

In shades of blue, green and purple.

Looking to the distance, a view from my imagination.

I think I may have to stitch this too, I keep seeing it in thread!

The oil pastel sketch is the magnolia tree in our garden.

It was bitter cold outside, the snow had started to fall as I gazed out the window.

The colours, I think, reflect the freezing temperature.

You will also find other items I have listed on etsy today, post cards and a few small brooches.

The sun today has been very welcome, although according to our weather short lived.

I hope you have a great weekend.x

Snow Brooch And Sketches

2010-01-11T17:00:00.006Z

Hello,

I thought you may like to see a few sketches I made at the weekend and a new tree brooch, listed on etsy today.

It was bitterly cold here, perfect for staying indoors and stitching.

I did venture out on Saturday, to a work shop at the Embroiderers guild in Leamington Spa.

We experimented with transfer dyes, painting and stenciling, then ironing the dyes from the paper on to different types of synthetic fabrics including fine nets and lace.

It was a very interesting day and I came home with lots of samples, of which I still need to photograph.

Today we had a little more snow but it has not been quite as cold, and it looks like we are over the worst of it here.

Hope you have a good week.x

Time To Paint

2010-01-07T16:40:00.004Z

We thought the snow was going to skirt us by, but on Wednesday morning it was quiet, sounds muffled by the blanket of snow.

The next excitement was finding out school was closed, the children's and the school I work at.

So we were out early to the local park, wrapped up, like a pass the parcel , including me with three pairs of woolly socks!

Here is our Snowman playing football , the goalie otherwise known as "Snowlie".

Can you spot the snowball?

I can tell you, it took quite a lot of throwing to get that shot!

The afternoon was spent trying to get warm again and drying hat, scarves & gloves which were strewn over all the radiators in the house!

I wanted to make the most of this bonus day at home so I got my paints out and painted this landscape from ideas in my sketchbook.

I hope your having a good week and keeping warm.

Colour Stitching

2010-01-02T14:13:00.005Z

After playing with colours in my sketch book, oil pastels are great for this, I love the intense colours I can get, I moved on to my threads and fibers.

Working this time on a smaller scale 8cm x 11cm , I used mainly hand stitching.

I thought I would try selling some smaller art pictures on etsy and a few original sketches along side my brooches.

My larger pieces, I have to save for an exhibition in the coming year.

I'm not very efficient at listing items to sell, I seem to be very slow, so for this New Year I'm going to try and be more organized.

I think I say that every year!

Creative Threads

2009-12-30T15:40:00.006Z

I had every intention of blogging more this week but every time I tried to upload photo's the children beat me to it for various reasons, mainly home work but also UTube and Facebook!

At this time of year it's difficult to be motivated when it's cold and dark, which is why I could quite happily hibernate.

Alternatively I just want to curl up with a good book or watch a feel good film.

Then I start feeling restless like I should be doing something like...cleaning, except I decide to go through my sketch books trying to find inspiration for a new project.

I had some sketches of a statue I did back in the summer and this became my starting point for my thread mask.

A face sculptured in thread, following the contours of the features like a map, the face becomes just a different type of landscape.

I also found time to do some work in my sketch book, just scribbling lots of small pictures, playing with different patterns and colours with oil pastels.

I'm hoping these will keep me busy with my threads well into the New Year!

P.S I have spent most of the afternoon watching feel good films and yes the house is a mess.

A Winters Day

2009-12-23T16:13:00.007Z

Hi,

I just wanted to wish you a very Merry Christmas, anyone who has ever had time to view my blog and of course for any comments, which are much appreciated.

We have managed to escape the worst of the snow here in the Midlands, just a light dusting, but it is still very cold and icy.

This morning we took our dog for a walk across the white frosted fields.

I found so much inspiration for my art work, this field with long grass frosted in wave shapes, the patterns in the headgrow and the pale colours in the sky.

Now I just need the time to sketch !

Embroidery Brooch

2009-12-19T15:07:00.004Z

It's the count down to Christmas and I finished work on Friday.

I work part time at a secondary school as the art and design technician which is a very varied role to say the least.

The last few days I have been preparing patterns and organizing fabric for the textile students, they start making their designs after Christmas.

I am also advising art students who wish to incorporate a textile element to their work.

So in January it will be extremely busy, I'm even dreaming about how to make certain complicated designs!

I'm looking forward to spending a little time on my own work, exploring different ideas, and a few more blog posts.

Stitched Landscape

2009-12-10T16:16:00.003Z

I have been working on my landscape and it's getting there.

I'm finding the layering of colours quite interesting now and I'm going to find it difficult to stop!

This has taken so much time and I wonder how you could ever be commercial working to this scale?

Last week I did my first demonstration and talk on my work for a lady I know through my art society.

She organises different workshops every few months in her wonderful art studio.

I found it very rewarding and everyone seemed to have a great time experimenting with fibers and stitch.

Perhaps this would be the right direction for me, still for now it's back to stitching.

Festive Threads

2009-12-02T17:36:00.006Z

As to not bore you with my large piece again, which as you know is still in progress, here in contrast is a very small tree.

A dainty little Christmas tree brooch on a rich, red woolen ground.

I also thought you may like to see this wooden bobbin stand which my Mum found for me last week.

It says on the bottom of it "Worsted Bobbin Flange ex Calder Valley Mills Nr Manchester ( circa 1913)".

It was supposed to be a Christmas present but my Mum couldn't wait!

Embroidery And Threads

2009-11-26T16:04:00.010Z

Oh dear!

The thread pile has grown again.

I have been very absorbed in my large textile and my thread pile has sort of spread into my stitching!

I have been adding more textural stitching to the foreground by hand.

I still have a lot more stitching to add, as I need to make the texture blend more into the background.

I have placed one of my brooches against the piece for you to see this is so much larger than my normal work.

I hope the scale of stitching is working in this piece, I'm constantly changing threads!

I needed to get back to some smaller stitched brooches and I have made this lace tree.

I thrive on the satisfaction of completing an art work and this is why I usually stitch on a smaller scale.

It's quite exhausting working on this larger landscape, but at the same time I feel I'm really pushing myself.

One of the positive aspects of blogging is, I have even more of an incentive to complete it!

Tree Of Hope

2009-11-21T18:23:00.005Z

This week has flown and I meant to blog on Wednesday but I have been so busy.

Last Thursday I attended the opening evening at Rugby art gallery & museum for their annual open exhibition.

I submitted three small textile pictures and I was very lucky to have them all selected.

The exhibition has some very wonderful art work and I was pleased to find several different textile pieces.

You will find an excellent range of paintings and sculpture displayed in a white spacious gallery.

So if your near do take a visit, the exhibition is on until the beginning of January.

I also took part in a small event to help raise funds for cancer research, thank you to anyone who kindly purchased my art brooches.

Now it's back to the painting and making, I updated my etsy shop the other day and hope to add a few more pieces soon, including' Tree Of Hope' which I finished today.

I hope you have a good weekend.xx

If Craft Matters To You

2009-11-11T17:54:00.003Z

I had an email today from the Craft Council.

It wants to know why craft is important to you.

So if you live in the UK click on this link http://www.craftscouncil.org.uk/about-us/press-room/view/2009/craft-matters/

It sounds like a very interesting project that you could be apart of.

This is also a very good website to see beautiful crafts from leading designers in the UK.

Craft matters to me because quite simply its my life, sounds a bit dramatic but it's true.

It is my living and my social life.

It brings people together, gives me inspiration and Its a way I can express myself.

Its the best sort of therapy.

Happy stitching.x

Textile Landscape

2009-11-04T16:12:00.007Z

I'm making slow progress on the stitching, my sewing machine is being serviced this week, not before time, its been in constant use and needs a bit of love and care.

So I am adding hand embroidery to my picture which I really enjoy, very relaxing and I can multi task, watching a good film.

On Sunday I was watching Pride And Prejudice for about the sixth time, I love the rain scene!

I always seem to connect more to the piece when I start the hand stitching, it gives a rhythm to my composition.

The picture above shows it displayed, balanced on my bookcase, I'm not sure yet how I will display this larger piece, any suggestions welcome and also any more good films to stitch to!

Time To Stitch

2009-10-28T18:15:00.006Z

It's half term week so I have been busy trying to finish jobs in the house and also fitting in more time to sew.

I have been making my flower brooches in the evening for a Christmas sale in aid of cancer research.

I also decided I wanted to try working a landscape on a larger scale, inspired by the textiles I saw at The Knitting & Stitching Show.

This size is enormous for me, especially if you compare it to my landscape brooches.

It is quite liberating to work to this scale and I kept standing on a chair to look down at it !

This is at the stage before I have added any embroidery, I have embellished the wool and silk fibers down with my embellisher machine.

My inspiration is from the sketch I made in France and I want to portray the atmosphere of the colourful Mediterranean landscape.

The colours are so vivid and intense in the strong sunlight.

I hope to bring it more alive once I start adding my stitches although I think this may take some time!

If You See A Tree In The Post

2009-10-20T20:37:00.008+01:00

Now I think you may find many trees in my blog posts but have you seen one in the post?

I found out my embroidery work which was featured in the Sew Somerset magazine has gone missing in the post.

It turns out it was mailed out from the States at the beginning of July and has not been seen since.

It's this work here http://kaylacoo.blogspot.com/2009_06_01_archive.html scroll down to June 8th.

So if by any chance you may see it, slim I know.........

We put so much faith in our postal service and there is always a risk that it reaches the wrong destination.

I think it's unlikely I will see it again, I wonder if it ever made it across the Atlantic or not?

I posted my Nieces Birthday card early because of the postal strike, due at the end of this week here in the UK.

I do hope they can resolve this dispute soon, as so many small business sellers will find it crippling.

I'm busy sewing lots of flowers at the moment, for a friends Christmas sale in aid of Cancer research, so I best get back to my petals.

Silver Tree & More Threads

2009-10-14T16:10:00.009+01:00

I must be slightly mad, I spend entire days just threading up sewing machines and then I come home and do the same!

As the art & design technician I spend a lot of time helping students, by showing them how to set up the machines and how best they can use them.

So I'm surrounded by threads at work and at home, obsessed I am!

These are a few of the smaller stitched pieces I have been working on, including a commission of a silver tree for Carolyn over at http://love-stitching-red.blogspot.com/.

Luckily she likes it!

I must say thank you to Linda who cheered me up, she sent me some fun handmade book marks from her give away.She makes very pretty jewellery too, you can find out more from her blog

http://aefondkis.blogspot.com/

Recently I found out that a friend of mine has a relative who stitches and she has a blog too, a small world!

You can see Ruth's embroidery work on her blog here http://rutholearytextileart.blogspot.com/

Ruth uses some very beautiful traditional embroidery techniques including goldwork and applique.

Thanks again for your lovely comments and now it's time for me to sort out school lunch boxes!

The Knitting & Stitching Show 2009

2009-10-09T23:04:00.007+01:00

I spent Thursday at the Knitting & Stitching show and I loved it !

The textile art was incredible, such a diverse range of different stitching styles and materials.

I find it inspiring talking to the textile artists who must have spent so much time getting ready for this show.

I enjoyed looking at the work of Tom Lundberg who's detailed fine stitching created rhythmical patterns.

His work is small, many just pocket size which are inspired by the symbolic intensity of badges and stitched emblems.

Then I found Alice Kettles stand with embroidery and clay pieces.

Alice's stitched pieces flowed from cloth to ceramics, her work combined with the ceramicists Helen Felcey in Place Settings and Alex Mc Erlain in Conversation Pieces.

Her stitched hangings in pure white, a departure from her usual colourful embroidered paintings ,but still undeniably showing her distinctive style.

My favourite was the one depicting many drawn urns and pots, stitched freely as quick sketches.

I will save more artist's for another blog post.

I was not sure if I could take pictures and I don't really feel I should have them on my blog without the artists permission.

So just the entrance to share with you and my pictures on the Stitch Magazine stand.

Hope you have a great time if your going and I'm sure you will be itching to stitch!

Trees For The Gallery

2009-09-30T22:19:00.010+01:00

I had a phone call at the beginning of the week requesting more of my brooches for the gallery in Leamington so I have been busy making these.

They wanted them as extra stock for Christmas.

This has given me an incentive to get some more work completed.

Next week I'm planning a visit to the Knitting & Stitching Show at Alexandra Palace, first time I have been to the London show in years!

I'm so looking forward to seeing all the amazing art textiles in one place and I'm hoping to take photo's to share with you.

Then of course there is all the different varieties of fibers and threads, I can be overwhelmed by the choice and the book stalls full of textile books, which I know will tempt me.

I have been working with year 8 students this week in textiles and we were experimenting with batik.

This is a sample I made to illustrate the technique, we had great fun creating patterns and they will then use their samples to decorate masks.

Another busy week, so I'm looking forward to a rest at the weekend, but it will include some sewing!

I must say before I go, thank you very much for all your kind comments.x

Embroiderers Guild Magazine Stitch

2009-09-25T16:24:00.007+01:00

This week has been full of lows and highs in that order.

My husband had to go through redundancy again, second time this year!

Using threads is always my therapy, I can immerse myself in my own little thread world and it's a good way to de-stress.

So I made my little red tree brooch out of an old black wool jumper,which I felted and then the bright orange tree on some scraps of hand dyed wool blanket.

On Wednesday I had a very kind email from a flickr friend saying they had seen my work in Stitch Magazine.

I had such a shock when I saw my work on the front cover!

You will find four of my embroideries, which I made especially for Stitch, based on the seasons, in the middle of the magazine.

So a much better end to the week after such a rubbish start and lets hope there will be an end to this recession soon.

Hope you have a lovely weekend.x

Threads & Sketches

2009-09-14T21:54:00.005+01:00

Well it's taken me quite a while to get on the computer as we have been so busy since we got back from our holidays.

Look at my messy desk again!

The vintage embroidery I found in a small shop in Bude.

I could not resist it, it's so beautifully stitched, I had to give it a home amongst my threads.

As promised a couple of quick sketches I made on holiday which I may paint and then progress to thread and fiber.

So lots to keep me busy again and I still have new items to add to etsy!

Hope you have a good week.x

Summer Sketch

2009-09-07T21:26:00.005+01:00

A page from my sketch book, a hot day in France.

My oil pastels were almost melting into the page!

Cornwall was quite a contrast, the weather cool and showery, but we had a lovely time.

The rugged coastline was inspiring the shapes, colours and dramatic skies.

I will post Cornwall sketches in the next few days and more French ones too.

This week it will be back to the school routine and I wonder how I ever manage to get anything done!

Trees And Lace

2009-08-28T16:19:00.003+01:00

Hello,

Just back from a few days in France and then we will be off again to Cornwall.

The weather was glorious and I have many sketches to share with you soon.

I found this fine vintage lace in a market, which I have now added to my tree embroidery.

I will not have access to a computer while we are away so do forgive me for not keeping up with my blog list.

I hope to catch up soon!

Bye for now.M x

Tree Of Many Stitches

2009-08-16T21:41:00.009+01:00

Tree Of Many Stitches

More stitching

Warwickshire countryside

Warwick Castle

A view over Warwick

A room recreated from the Edwardian era.

A wall of pictures in Warwick Castle

Hello,

This week we visited Warwick Castle as we had some vouchers to use up.

Although it's very near to us it's a while since we last visited.

It has become more commercialized, in my opinion and lost a little of the charm it once had.

Despite that, it is a spectacular English Castle, full of the most beautiful paintings and furniture.

If you have the stamina to climb the towers four hundred plus stairs, you will be rewarded by the amazing views of Warwick and the surrounding countryside.

You will find more information here http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Warwick_Castle

I have a few more brooches to share with you, one added recently to etsy.

My store will be closed soon as we will be away on our holiday, hopefully I will have some time to sketch then!

Many thanks for your recent comments, they are very much appreciated.

Bye for now. M x