CONCERTINA BOOK ART

I have just completed my first bit of my concertina book, before it heads off to the next person to work on. I decided on 'sayings' for my theme. My two pictures were 'the wings of desire' and 'a little bird told me.' It took ages for me to decide what sayings to do. I sat there for a painfully long, long, long time just mmming and ahhing!

It has helped doing these pictures. I have felt so down and cut off since I crashed my car. I found out today it has been written off. My niece has very kindly asked me if I would like to borrow her little mini. It will be good to ferry around in one again. I still miss my little blue one after all these years.

BUSY, BUSY, BUSY!

I've been a busy beaver the last few days! Making cards to sell, a fabric hair flower for my eldest niece and a pop-up book for the youngest one. I thought I'd show you the book. It's very simple and not very big, but I wanted to have a go at an interactive book for her birthday. I've tried uploading a little video of it, unfortunately it was taking hours to load and not doing anything, so I've given up for now. So instead, here are the cards I've been working on so far.....

Amazing how productive one can be when there's no car!!!!

CONCERTINA BOOK TUTORIAL

Had another go at crayon batik. I wanted to try some smaller images for card designs (sorry about the dodgy photo). It ended up looking more like a night scene. I was a little worried I used too dark a paint, but I am quite pleased with this little cat!

Yesterday I had a lovely visit to my friend Jayne. We did lots of giggling and a little bit of crafting in her converted caravan studio ( I meant to take some photos to show. Have to remember next time!) It is so cool and she is just amazing as she built all the stuff in it herself. Thank you to her daughters for sorting me loads of cool buttons!

We did lino-printing. This is meant to be Christmasy. I know it's too, too, too early, but I only ever manage to get about two home-made cards out to people, so I thought I might be a little more organised (HA HA HA) this year. I'm not sure it quite worked with the print, but I think I like it!

We also made concertina books. We are making them to do an art swap of kinds, although the book comes back to the original artist. You draw, paint or collage, etc on a few pages and then pass it on to the next artist to do their bit carrying on from yours. ( Hope that makes some sense to you?) You keep doing this until the book is full and then it goes back to the person who made the book in the first place. We are making up our own themes to keep a thread throughout each book. I'm not entirely sure what I'm going to do. I thought may be stories!?! Fairy tales or favourite stories. I'd like to use different paint techniques to build the pages up. I find that although I do this kind of stuff in workshops, I never really do it for myself. So it would be inspirational and a challenge to myself to this in the book!

Anyway I thought that may be I could give a simple tutorial for making a concertina book. There are different ways of making them, but I have chosen one of the simpler techniques and have made mine from scraps of brown recycled paper. I love working on brown paper and I quite like a lived in look in my work.

Take two pieces of thick card and cut to the size that you want your concertina book to be (Mine is about 8in x 91/2in). Cover and decorate both pieces of card however you want. I used old sheet music with a lino-printed butterfly design. I placed the card on the paper and cut the four corners off. I then glued the paper to the card and folded over and glued the paper edges.

Take pieces of paper and mountain and valley fold in a concertina fashion. Each page that is created needs to be folded to fit the same size as your card covers.

If you need to add more length to your book, just make sure that before you start folding the paper, make a small fold at the end of the paper and then measure out your pages from what is left. This small fold will then be glued to another small fold on your other piece of paper. (Hope that also makes sense) The picture below shows where I have glued my two small folds together. They sit on a main fold between two pages (on a mountain fold).

I also glued two pieces of paper together where it would sit in the middle of a page. As I said I like a lived in look, so I wasn't worried by it being perfect and neat.

APPLE AND SULTANA SPONGE RECIPE

Here's my recipe for the Apple and sultana sponge cake I made yesterday. Moist enough to eat on it's own or yummy with a blob of yoghurt, custard or ice-cream!

3 apples

75g sultanas

8 Tbsp agave syrup or maple syrup

100g butter/marg

100g xylitol/sugar or 200g cooked and pureed dates

2 eggs

100g gluten-free or wheat self-raising flour

Pre-heat the oven to gas mark 5. Stew very gently the apples in a tbsp of water and 2 tsp of the xylitol/sugar, until the apples are completely tender. Spread the apples on the base of a pie dish and sprinkle on the sultanas. Spoon on the syrup. Beat the butter and rest of sugar together until creamy, then beat in the eggs and flour. Bake in the oven for 30mins until golden and spongy!

CRAYON BATIK AND BUBBLE PRINT TUTORIALS

In the craft session last week we decided to do crayon batik and bubble prints. They are lovely, simple processes, but quite effective. Also with endless results.

CRAYON BATIK

1. Colour the entire surface of your paper very densely with your crayon pattern or picture, making sure you leave no paper showing.

2. Scrunch the paper into a tight ball. (We did this a few times to get lots of crinkles)

3.Lay it out flat and brush a thinned coat of acrylic paint all over the paper. (We used quite dark colours)

4. Whilst the paper is wet, sponge off the excess paint.

5. Lay the paper, picture side down, on some scrap paper and then cover with more scrap paper.

6. Press with a warm iron. Don't use a sliding motion, just press!

BUBBLE PRINTS

This is a fun one to do with children, just as long as they blow and don't suck! I always get a good response with this one in workshops!

1. Mix together water, washing-up liquid and paint of your colour. It's a bit hit and miss with quantities and depends if you want an intense finish or something more delicate. A little water, lots of washing-up liquid and then build up the paint to the intensity you want. I use small bowls and then there's less blowing to get it to the top.

2. Blow and blow and blow. (I always seem to sound like a drowning cat at this point) Whilst the bubbles are almost pouring over the edges of your bowl, take your paper and lightly place on top of the bubbles. You should be able to do this a few times before your bubbles disappear below the bowl's rim.

Mix up bowls of different colours and have fun!

BERRIES GALORE!

Feeling much better today. Mooched about over the weekend, knitting, reading and watching films. Had a cry on the phone to my Mum and felt heaps better. Picked elderberries for the first time today. I also picked some more blackberries. I am filling my freezer and trying to become more self-sufficient. I have just started reading 'Food for Free' by Richard Mabey. Elderberries are apparently good to add to fruit pies or added to blackberry jam.

Pick the berries when their clusters have turned upside down and heavy with the fruit. Wash them and then pick off with a fork. Don't pick the wrinkly berries.

I thought the empty stalks were rather pretty too. I've stuck them on my studio ceiling!

CRASH!

Crashed my little car into a ditch yesterday. Felt pretty down about it yesterday and today, but I'm feeling calmer about the whole thing now. At least I'm still here, cos my car apparently flew through the air.

BIRDS AND THE BEES, MONKEYS IN THE TREES

Well there's not actually any bees in this blog, but I rather liked the title. Anyhoo, these are some of the pictures from the rest of our Summer hols.

Beautiful, majestic and a bit wobbly, this sea eagle at Warwick Castle was just amazing! Apparently they don't reach sexual maturity until they are about five. The Hawker bloke was brilliant, so funny. This was the first time an eagle of this kind had ever flown in the UK. It was wobbling all over the place, as it hadn't flown very much.
Trentham Monkey Forest is worth a visit. You go in where the monkeys live, right up near them. The babies are too cute, the adolescents hilarious and the adults, well, a bit grumpy with the younger ones at times (no change there then). Really beautiful surroundings and some funny squirrels.
Another Monkey in the tree!

Desford Tropical Bird Gardens are just great. Loads of the birds roam free around the gardens. I wish they all did, then the place would be perfect.


There is a part in the gardens where you can get so close to the birds.
Occasionally too close. Jonny got his ear bitten by this one. He also seemed to have a penchant for his necklace and the inside of his t'shirt!

HOMEMADE JAM

My first furore into making jam. Started out with loads of berries (mostly blackberries with some strawberries to sweeten it) and ended up with not very much jam! Definitely needs some tweaking. I think my pan was too big, as I just could not get the temperature up to 220f, however high I turned the gas and for however long I boiled it. I put the lid on in the end and only made it to 215f. I think I boiled most of my jam away, but heh got to start somewhere and it sure tastes yummy!!!

FIRST DAY AT SCHOOL

Ru went off to his new school yesterday. He has been really looking forward to it. I'm so glad, it makes such a difference to his feelings about his last school. He has had many positive changes happening recently. New school, more pocket money, his own house key, trips to the nearest town on the bus with just him and a friend. He's growing up so quickly!

HURRAH! I'VE FOUND A UK STOCKIST!

At last I can now get Altered Couture and Artful Blogging in Britain. Rather expensive, but I hope it will be worth it. http://www.rainbowsilks.co.uk/ sell them. You can have a subscription and get free post and packing or try single copies with postage. They sell lots of other stuff too!

Poorly Pawed Pooch

Poor Hubert. Took him for a walk and when we got back to the car, I noticed he'd ripped the skin right off the bottom of the main paw pad! Ouch!!

Took him to the vet and he was bandaged up. He is now Hop Along Huey. The vet thought he looked like he had burnt it, as the skin hanging off was completely dead! Can't think how that could have happened other than it being a friction burn from when he chases his ball?? He can't go for a walk for a few days and has to have a plastic bag on his foot when he wants to go in the garden.

Wouldn't want to laugh at his afflictions but he has done some pretty funny things since he had it wrapped up. He was waiting for his tea, sitting there staring at me whilst I was on the phone to my Mum, willing me by psychic eye contact to feed him. He suddenly started waving his poorly paw in the air round and round in windmill motion and then later flapping it out to the side like a penguin.

Ruan seemed to think he needed extra feeding as he had hurt himself. Extra food and no walks doesn't sound the best combination!!

ANCIENT EGYPTIAN THEME WORKSHOPS

Facilitated two workshops based on Ancient Egypt using recycled materials. Boy, did I have to get my brain in gear to plan out some ideas that would work well and quickly using recycled materials. Certainly gets the creatives juices flowing! I was quite pleased with what I came up with in the end and the kids seemed to really enjoy themselves.


Here are images of the children's work. I love children's artwork. They look at your idea and then just do it in their own very special way! Usually far more colourfully done as well.

They made Canopic Jars, Egyptian Collars and Shabtis.

SUMMER FLYDRIVE!

My, the summer's gone quickly. We haven't stopped. Just dropped Ru off at the airport with his Aunty Rose. They are off to Spain for the week. He looked a bit worried, but I'll bet he has a great time and gets spoilt rotten!

He's only just come back from France with my side of the family. He had a good time, but said he didn't want to go away without us again. Which is weird really as he spends a lot of time telling us we are boring and cycling off to his friends whenever he can!!!

Anyway, our summer has gone thus: Walking , jumping, climbing and paddling at Bradgate Park wearing my very practical pink boots!?!

Shivering on Skegness front and seeing the extremely cute seals and penguins at the seal sanctuary.

Stealing Nain's slippers in Wales and looking very guilty about it!

Camping in Cornwall.

We've also been down to Essex to look after Buster the dog, down to London to see Rose and Del and too'd and fro'd in Leicester. Still two weeks to go!

ARTISTS TALKS

.....to find out more about ways in which they work, collectively and independently; the ideas behind making, collaborating and exhibiting

Local artist, Christine Ross is involved with the Studio 51 group and the Leicester Sketch Club. Her work can be seen at Gallery 3 in Oadby. The Leicester Sketch Club will be holding an exhibition at the Richard Attenborough Centre on the 22nd – 23rd November 2008. This interview took place July 8th 2008.

Why are you an artist?

I love to draw, I love to paint and I love to create things. I don’t like to sit doing nothing. Creating something is to me better than other things, it’s the best thing I can do.

How did you get into art?

I always drew as a child, always made things in an amateurish sort of way. I can remember getting some fabric when I was eleven and I made a dress for my sister from this spotty fabric. That was the first thing I made sewing wise. But drawing, I have always drawn. Loved it. But I never had the opportunity until I was in my fifties to take it seriously.

I did an A’ level and then got head-hunted to go to De Monfort University for a Foundation course, which I didn’t finish because of health reasons. It’s just developed from that. The group (Studio 51) that come to paint here, we’ve all been to classes, day and night classes, etc. You get to a point where they can’t teach you anymore and where do you go from here? We decided to form a group where we all put questions in a box pull a question out and we’ve all got to have a go at that challenge. Everybody does it very individually, in their own way.

What is your background and how has it helped you where you are today?

My first job was as a tracer in a drawing office, that’s the closest I could get to doing anything with my hands. I’ve done lots of jobs, but the best one that’s helped me now is being a picture framer. You get to look at a lot of art and a lot of people’s work and you learn to frame it and what best suits the picture. That’s been the most useful thing.

What artists do you admire and who has influenced you and why?

Frido Kahlo, because she didn’t copy anything. She painted her life and the things that happened to her. Gustav Klimt. I absolutely love the colours and texture. I love everything about his work. Salvador Dali, just because of his technical skill and the weirdness and quirkiness of it all. I think I’m drawn to surrealist work. Escher as well. His work is quite mysterious. I’m not drawn to straight forward stuff.

I have done Dali projects with the group. Prior to getting into Dali, I was doing a bit of surrealist stuff on my own. I’ve got distracted by other things, but I would like to get back to it.

What inspires you to paint and how do you keep motivated when things get tough in the studio?

Everything around me inspires me, discovering things. When I look at something it’s just an object, but when I draw it, it has a whole new dimension. You can learn about it.

If things get tough in the studio, I stop and have a cup of coffee! Usually if I’m stuck I’ll stop and do something else, then go back to it when I’ve renewed my motivation.

What is your starting point for a piece of work?

Usually the thing it’s self, that says paint me or draw me. I’m inspired by it so I need to do it. I’ll think about it first and the best way to do it and do some thumbnail sketches to get the best composition.

What are you trying to achieve at the moment in your work?

I’m working mainly with colour and texture at the moment, but it’s always something new, something I haven’t done before. A different way of doing things, because I experiment a lot with different media and different methods of working. I’m always thinking I can do better and keep going and going.

What other interests do you have besides painting?

Writing, I’ve always written poetry. I do a bit of dressmaking. Lots of creative sewing and embroidery. I love to cook, particularly cakes! I also like reading, but mainly art books.

How have you handled the business side of being an artist?

I haven’t really handled it at all. We started doing exhibitions as a group and other exhibitions followed on from that. At the beginning it was a joint effort and everybody had an input from the group, not so much to market ourselves, but to interest other people and motivate them to get a hobby. Not necessarily art, but something that interested them to go ahead and do it!

We do promote our work and enter exhibitions, but the business side of it doesn’t really apply to me. It’s not so important for me.

What goals do you have and where do you want to be with your work in the future?

In an ideal world I’d like a nice big studio with lots of people to come and paint and swap ideas. That would be wonderful. Just to get better at what I do. To do something different, to develop a style that people will think ‘oh, that’s so and so.’ I don’t feel I have my own style at the moment because I do too many different things.

What advice would you give to an artist just starting out?

Never give up. Keep going. An art teacher once said to me if you fall down seven times, get up eight! Practise makes perfect. You never get perfect, but you’ve got to keep going, until you’re happy enough with what you’ve done, enough to put it in a frame.

Christine Ross can be contacted by email at rossy@willsy27.wanadoo.co.uk

Anyone interested in joining the Leicester Sketch Club, needs to submit three pieces of work to go before the committee, who decide whether you will be accepted. You are always welcome to apply the next year if you have been unsuccessful. The application process takes place once a year in April. The club is based in Leicester and was established in 1898.

To apply please write to:

The Leicester Sketch Club
Michael Haswell
28 Burton Road
Ashby de la Zouche
Leicestershire

For more information visit http://www.members.tripod.com/leicestersketchclub/ or email mike.haswell@tinyworld.co.uk


Gallery 3
19 The Parade (through Tippetts Florist)
Oadby
Leicester
LE2 5BB

0116 2712443


The Richard Attenborough Centre
University of Leicester
Lancaster Road
Leicester
LE1 7HA

0116 2522455
http://www.le.ac.uk/racentre/

Images of the Open Exhibition

The exhibition over last weekend went very well. I was really pleased with people's reactions to my work. It's given me a bit more courage to get it out there!

I decided to change the peacock jacket above in the end. I just wasn't happy with it. Now I am!

This is the Blue Bird Sari Jacket......

..and the Bird Bird painting to complement it on my stall. I was worried I wouldn't have enough to show as I had such a short period of time to get it all together, but I think it was ok. A big thank you to Kay for doing the calligraphy on my business cards and to Chris and Peggy for letting me squeeze in to the exhibition at such late notice!

Start Your Own Craft Group

I've just had my first article put into the local Arts Newsletter. I'm really pleased. I've been wanting to have a go at writing for so long and this seems a good place to cut my teeth on. Here's the article for anyone who wants to start a group and isn't sure where to begin.

Start Your Own Craft Group

Time spent with friends and like-minded people to talk and create can be a fun and enriching experience. The craft group my friends and I started had been a year in the planning, but it was definitely worth the wait. It seemed such a big step to get that first session organised and yet it was so simple. If you are considering starting a craft group I suggest you just go for it and reap the many rewards that will be on offer. I hope the following tips will help you get started.

Depending on whether you just want to meet up with a few friends or make it a more public affair will decide on how you promote the initial meeting. Flyers could be passed to friends and residents in the neighbourhood or posters placed in local shops. The Leicester Mercury will publish small editorials and the local radio stations will announce community news. There are also craft forums on the internet where you can find groups local to you. www.craftster.org and www.getcrafty.com are just two of the websites that information can be posted on anything to do with crafts and setting up groups anywhere in the world. Local websites include www.leicestershirevillages.com and www.leicester.gumtree.com.

Find somewhere everyone is comfortable meeting and check that there is enough room to craft. Our group meets once a month in the evening at one of the member’s houses, as she has the loveliest studio space and is happy for us to hold the session there each time. We always have refreshments that she has supplied or that one of us has brought along. You may want to alternate at different houses or have a more formal environment such as a village or church hall. Meeting regularly and keeping the same day and time helps maintain a feeling of stability for the on-going success and continuation of the group.

The first session may well be slow and you might not get much done. Don’t be discouraged, as everyone is feeling their way, some may not even bring anything to work on to begin with. This is ok. Chatting and seeing what others are doing will build confidence in those not used to showing their work. A community of encouragement, constructive support and informal advice can be developed and new friendships formed to create a safe place for members to show works in progress or finished projects.

Our meetings have proved to be inspirational and helpful both creatively and personally. Each member has contributed by showing what they have been working on. Books and magazines of interest and beauty have been brought along and passed round. New websites and weblogs discovered and the information shared. Also, any items or materials that no longer have a life for the owner have been donated and enthusiastically ‘adopted’ by the other members of the group. We have a raffle at each meeting, where every person brings along a small wrapped gift. It can be absolutely anything that you think another might find inspirational and might even be as tiny as a bead or button. It can be found, bought, made or something that you don’t think you will ever use again. This has been a rather nice element to the evening as it is exciting to see what people have given, how it has been wrapped and of course there is the thrill of opening presents if you are the winner!

Ideas for the group’s progression can grow quite organically. All those in the group could participate in workshops that have been decided on before. Next time we meet we will be playing with paint with different materials and techniques. These can then be used for future projects or might kindle new ways of working. Individual knowledge can be passed on through relaxed tutorials or new crafts can be learnt. Art swaps are a popular activity on the internet but this idea could be used for a craft group. Each participant creates pieces (such as postcards or trading cards) to swap with the others. Maybe the group could make guerilla art to leave in a public place for someone to find! If there is the time and inclination the focus of the group may move towards an exhibition of their work. Craft retreats or days out could be planned or a newsletter by email developed to keep members informed about dates and events or points of interest from the last meeting.

Keep it low pressured and go with the personality of the group. Make up your own rules. Starting a craft group is a wonderful opportunity to make time for you and your craft and learn new things. Our group has a lovely intimate atmosphere where we find out about each others lives, work and home and discuss life, death and the universe. We also laugh a lot. The next meeting never comes quickly enough!

Come See the Exhibition!

Some of my craft stuff will be in an exhibition this coming Saturday and Sunday. Come and have a look. There will be loads of art there.

ART IN BLABY

LEICESTERSHIRE

BLABY SOCIAL CENTRE
SAT 28TH & SUN 29TH JUNE
10am – 5pm

Local Artists

Textiles & Crafts

Workshops

Refreshments

And lots more

FREE ENTRY

Hurrah! Finished at Last.

Finally finished the jacket. It was really difficult to decide what to do with the top panel. But I just went for it and hope it was for the best. I think I'm pleased with the overall affect, but I've been working on it for so long that It's kinda hard to be detached enough from it to know if it's any good or not!

And Another!

My second sari-bag. Made it yesterday. This one has lovely shiny pink lining. Picked it up from a recycling place. I'm not sure if it was some sort of shrine cover or maybe a rather fancy table cloth!
I'm now going to try and finish the embellished denim jacket. I'm hoping to put it in a local exhibition next week.

Sari-Bag

Made a couple more booklets. The booklets are meant to be last on the blog and the sari-bag at the bottom is meant to be first. Haven't quite got there on working this blogging malarky out yet!

Wearing my charity shop find. Dodgy photo. Just learnt how to use the self-timer on my camera. Only had it a year! Evidently need more practise.

The sari-bag I made yesterday. Really pleased with it. The lining looks gorgeous with the sari fabric. The lining was a skirt picked up at a jumble sale and the sari another boot fair find.