Back To Stitching Landscapes

This week it's back to the sewing machine, combining it with hand stitching.
I love the range of marks I can make with just a needle and thread, the repetitive hand stitching is addictive, whilst being absorbing.
Again I'm referring to my sketch book, this is from a range of sketches I made last year.

Fine Art Textile Workshops!

 At last I have managed to sort out a few dates to run some fine art textile workshops.
I will be running these in Kenilworth in Warwickshire above a new shop called SewArty which will be opening on the 5th of April.
If you would like to find out more details do email me through my website here

My Sketch Book and Threads

This is the sketch book I took to Italy with me, it's filled with sketches of the mountains, which I hope to share over the next few weeks.
I had this on display at The Herbert Art Gallery with a few other smaller works and threads.
It is a constant source of inspiration, I will use these for my next paintings, developing along side my stitched textile works, plenty of work to keep me busy this half term week.

I'm pleased to announce that I will be demonstrating my work at the NEC in Birmingham Fashion ,Embroidery, Stitch show at the end of March on the Madeira Threads stand.
So if your planning to come please do pop over and say hello, as this is the first time I have participated in a textile show.
Once I get more information I will post it here.
Have a great week.

Michala

A Closer View

My exhibition finished last week and I feel I have now come to a cross roads in my life, what should I do now?
I think it will be important for me to continue with offering workshops and talks, bringing together my knowledge of fine art with textiles.
Also I have much work to continue with, taking time to paint,stitching my large scale pieces which are developing into an interesting sculptural surface.

I read an article in the Guardian about David Hockneys latest exhibition" A Bigger Picture"
I found this extract thought provoking
 Asked what advice he'd give to today's students: "Follow your instincts," he said. "Don't believe that painting's dead, it's photography that's dying or changing anyway, because of technology, just as painting changes because of technology.

Workshop At The Herbert

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

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

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