Wow! what a year . . !

 Christmas street decorations in Granada 2012.

Well the rain has stopped in Brighton - for at least an hour now! Blimey it's been wet. My thoughts are with those of you who are still struggling with having been flooded for the second or even third time.

The sun is shining as I write this, it is a treat to write this looking out at a bright blue sky - long may it last!  I am off to France later today to stay with good friends and share New Year with them. Like most of you I have been thinking back over the past year and planning for 2013 . . and 2014 Gulp!

 x

2012 Started well for me as I was in Spain staying with my dear friend Brenda Killigrew who runs The Old Needle Works in Redditch where I teach my ExTex course. We visited Granada at New Year and visited the Alhambra.


It had been long been a resolution/need of mine to visit the Alhambra and thanks to Brenda we spent a wonderful day there. Cordoba is next on the list.
Brenda has a house in Spain where she runs the Castanea creative courses.

 Another highlight was being invited back to Australia to teach two residential courses. This was my second visit to the Antipodes and the ladies who attend the courses and was ready for them this time. Boy do these girls know how to have fun!!!! They work hard too . . .


 
 Guess who won 'The most Fabulous Wearing of False Eyelashes'?

I taught in Ballarat near Melbourne and in the Blue Mountains nearish Sydney.
All the tutors worked hard and played hard and were exhausted by the end of each course - Oh, but is was fun! 
It was wonderful to be teaching alongside Marry Hettmansperger www.maryhetts.com and Dorothy Caldwell (great Youtube film about Dorothy and her work www.youtube.com) again. We only meet when we teach in Australia. Mary lives in America and Dorothy in Canada.

 
 One of the most beautiful uses of Vilene spunbond I have seen.

Let's not forgot I was there to teach and the students in both groups produced stunning work. There are several posts back in April/May where you can catch up.
 
 
  The beginnings of the paper 'invasion' to my teaching.

All types of paper including newspaper were included in the courses and this is where I realised the paper theme was really going to take off.

Then it was off to New Zealand, I had never been before and I was so tired after my hectic three weeks in Australia all I wanted to do was go home.
Wow!! what an astounding place. I count my self VERY lucky to have been invited to lecture and teach there. I only saw a small part of the South Island, from Christchurch to Blenheim but I know I need to get back to this stunningly beautiful place again . . and again . .  and again. I will be back there in 2014 and 2015 and I can't wait to explore further and to catch up with the wonderful friends I made there.

 Three of the fantastic people I met in Blenheim, New Zealand. Denise, Bob and Christine. We had a hysterical time one night with Bob playing show tunes on the piano and Denise, Christine and I playing the spoons and dancing violently up and down the hall - of course - no alcohol had been consumed . . !

I think there are seventeen wineries in Blenheim!
 
 New Zealand is sooooooo beautiful.

 Something else I have been very proud of is that my Experiemental Textiles course, affectionately known as ExTex, has been running again since May. You may have seen my second book Experimental Textiles which is about this course. Originally the course was a four year one but I have re written it, taking out all the most important sessions and creating a course that is delivered over nine weekends finishing with an End of Year Show at Fashion, Embroidery and Stitch at the end of March at the NEC, Birmingham. Whhoo hooo! I have a fabulous group who are producing amazing work. If you are on Facebook you can view more of their work here. www.facebook.com

  
 My ExTex girls coping well with a large scale still life.
  
 
 One of the great samples made on the 'metal' ExTex weekend.

 A great sample of transfer printing.

 A new venture has been running my own courses locally at Foredown Tower. It has been very satisfying and a great treat for me not to have to travel too far for a change ( I'm getting old)! I have attracted a small 'core' of students and others ebb and flow. There are three more weekends left later on in 2013.
  
 The five brave students who enrolled for the 'Creating Original Designs' weekend.

 
 The 'flipping out' exercise.


 
 The 'journeys' hanging on the wall.
  
A 'positive' and 'negative' printing block created from a section of one of the 'flipping out' exercises.
x

Of course, none of this is possible without YOU!!! The student, blog reader artist - whatever . . . It is wonderful to be able to reach out to you all, all over the globe. My blog stats tell me I have just reached the 115.000 mark of hits.
Pretty amazing really, nothing like as many as some other blogs, but not bad for someone who teaches strange and rather unusual techniques with few finished 'things' in sight. I just love process!

 With all the new products coming into the textile field I still love Bondaweb the best.
 I still love Bondaweb the best! 
Painted Bondaweb ironed onto black cotton, decorated with heat transfer foil, glitter and strips of newspaper.

I know tutors are not supposed to have favourites but I thought I would show you two of the pieces that I have been most pleased with this year. 

The first piece was created on a newspaper based course at Bobby Britnell's studio. It combines all the newspaper and painted Bondaweb layering along with print and water soluble machine embroidery. Simple and beautiful
  
 
 A stunning piece by Veronica Wells created on one of my 'newspaper' courses at Bobby Britnell's studio.

 The last image is a section of a piece of work created by a student on my last course at West Dean for this year. Vicki is a full time student at West Dean and was a joy to work with. She had a great time sloshing about with all the dyes, newspaper, Bondaweb and heat transfer foil. She worked hard and fast to create some amazing textures.
 
A section of one of my favourite pieces of work created by one of my students this year. Vicki was on my most recent course at West Dean College. Layers of painted Bondaweb, newspaper, heat transfer foil and print.

x

I hope you will forgive this rather self indulgent post. It has been an exciting year with many ups and few downs - and above all - WET!!! I would like to thank all the students who enrolled on workshops - they wouldn't run with out you and you were SUCH fun!

Hello to all my friends near and far who read this - hopefully I will see you sometime this year!!! I will be doing shows in Manchester, Glasgow, London and the NEC this year so I SHOULD get to see many of you. Those of you who are reading this in Australia and New Zealand - see you in 2014. It will get here sooner that we think.


                                   Be safe - Be well
              Love your family and friends, hold them close.
                                                                    
                                    Happy New Year
                                              
                                         with love
                                            x x x



Comments

  1. Ineke30 December 2012 at 11:45

    I wish you too a very healthy en creative (without any doubt)New Year! I've learned a lot of you, thank you.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Lynda Howells30 December 2012 at 13:53

    I wish you a very craft and happy New year and feel to "boast" away..you deserve itx lynda

    ReplyDelete
  3. knutty knitter30 December 2012 at 22:32

    Glad you liked it here - I'm further south than you went but might get to see you in 2014 - you never know!

    viv in nz

    ReplyDelete
  4. Carmina3 January 2013 at 09:58

    Happy New Year 2013!
    La Multi Ani 2013!
    I wish you all the best, health and creativity.
    Carmina (Romania)

    ReplyDelete

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