rebelrebel:       crafts

Arts and Crafts

In recent times, I've been spending more and more time immersing myself in various exciting experiments and adventures in art and craft, after quite a few years (mostly whilst busy studying and writing my PhD thesis) when all such artistic activity more or less ground to a halt. Nowadays I'm happy to try my hand at all sorts of crafts, for fun and self-expression, without getting too hung up on technical merit... I'm finding that it's much more enjoyable that way.

Textiles

I went on a creative textiles course, taught by the lovely Helly Challenor, at London's Mary Ward Centre in 2004-5. This was a good decision... it's set me off on all sorts of projects since then.

I haven't felt the need to sign up for any new courses for a few years as so many ideas and possibilities for projects are still arising from the textiles stuff I learned on the course (dyeing, stitching, feltmaking, knitting, crochet). From reading around the subject, and visiting fascinating textile fairs and shops (like the Handweavers Studio and Wingham Wool Work), I've branched out into other crafts like (utterly inexpert) embroidery, silk papermaking, and other mixed media experiments.

In 2008, I signed up to do a City and Guilds in Feltmaking with Jenny Compton at Missenden Abbey, and I got awarded my 7822 certificate in the summer of 2009. Hurrah! Most of the very likeable class have carried on to the next level up (the 7922) and photos of my classmates can be found here.

Other Bits and Bobs

It's always nice to try new things and I've had a go at quite a few different crafts at the creativity group.
At the moment I am just starting to get into block printing (lino- and wood-cutting) as if I haven't already got enough interests/projects on the go.

Prior to the textile revolution my main craft was mosaicing. I still make mosaics from time to time, but it's not such an easy craft to do in bed or on the bus as many of the woolier crafts are, so I make them less often. I'd like to have a decent go at ceramics sometime. I went on a short course when I was about 11, and then tried again just a few years ago when I was 27, but both times it was vaguely unsatisfactory... perhaps it's something about the format of evening courses that doesn't help. I like to take my time over things, and you can't really bring clay pots home to work on in your own time, or choose your own glazes. Or perhaps it's just something that doesn't suit me and I'll never get the knack of it. Another thing I'd like to learn eventually is sculpture - in particular wood carving - I tried doing this on a sculpture course once, at the City Lit, but ended up suffering with backache and didn't last to the end of term... just wasn't fit enough. Ho hum.